Changed In A Heartbeat
by livebyinsanity
Summary: Bella Swan thought that she would always love Edward Cullen. But, when she entered the home of the Volturi; she found that everything changed in a heartbeat.
1. Italy

**This story takes place one year after Edward leaves Bella in New Moon. ****Disclaimer: All recognisable characters and locations belong to Stephenie Meyer.**

**Changed In A Heartbeat**

**Chapter One: Italy**

**Bella**

No letters. No phone calls. No contact. Not even the slightest hint or clue that he or any of his family might still care for me.

Why wasn't I surprised? Of course, I would never mean anything to him. I was just a weak, fragile, breakable human. I was just a shiny new toy, a porcelain doll. Something that would captivate the imagination for a little while. But never something to last the rest of eternity.

I knew all of this. I knew that...Edward... didn't want me. But, this wouldn't stop me from loving him.

Everytime I thought of his name, it hurt. But, I had to stop trying to hold back my memories, right? I couldn't dwell on my own rotting pain and loneliness, forgetting about the truly magnificent months with Edward. I should cherish those memories. After all, how many humans had gotten the experiences that I had experienced? How many had been able to feel the endless joy I had felt?

I may be able to move on but I would forever love Edward.

Even if he didn't want me anymore.

Of course I missed the family too- Carlisle, Esme, Emmett, Rosalie, Jasper and Alice. But I knew that I would probably never see them again. And they would probably never think about my face either. I might be able to accept that they were gone but this couldn't stop me from wishing that they were back.

And yes, my heart still belonged to Edward. The one and only Edward Cullen.

"Bella!" I was dragged out of my wistful thinking by my father, Charlie's call from the kitchen; he had recently begun learning to cook with varying degrees of success.

I went downstairs to meet him in the dining room. The pleasant smell of a steak and baked potatoes wafted into my nose. I half grinned (but it was half hearted) as I surveyed the plate. I was still amazed that Charlie had improved so much from the old days of burnt clumpy pasta.

"This looks excellent dad", I said as I sat down and out one forkful of meat into my mouth. "A nine out of ten."

I was warmed by Charlie's answering smile and I could tell that he was pleased that I was continuing to talk more often. I couldn't bear to think about my recollections of the first few months after Edward left me.

You could easily say that a zombie had more life in its eyes than I did.

_*Flashback*_

I didn't want to wake up. I didn't want to wake up let alone go downstairs and start another school day. Everything hurt, but not physically but psychologically. Socially. Everywhere I looked, I saw _him. _I saw _him _as he snuck through the window to sing me to sleep; I saw _him _with his sexy crooked grin at the foot of my steps.

I groaned when my alarm clock went off. I hated the sound. Unhappy, I buried my face into the pillow and tried to block all the noise out. It didn't work. I heard Charlie's heavy footsteps make their way up the stairs before three sharp raps pounded across my bedroom door.

"Bella?" Charlie would ask, opening the door. "Honey? You need to get up now."

It was maybe a minute before I got up and began to move. Without speaking a single word, I rolled out of bed and made my way over to the bathroom. My arm swung inelegantly and hit the doorframe but I didn't care.

In my peripheral vision, I saw Charlie's heartbreakingly sad expression.

_*End Flashback*_

I had put my father through hell and back, yet he still cared for me and supported me the entire way. As I ate the last remaining bits of my dinner, I noticed Charlie watching me with a very nervous and uncertain expression. I knew that he wanted to say something to me.

"Um...dad?" I began, sounding rather uncertain myself. "You look as though you have something on your mind. Care to share?"

"You know me to well Bells." Charlie chuckled; well, I guess he had a good point. Charlie was pretty much my only companion now. He was the only one who understood. Jessica, Lauren and Mike; I could have been a brick wall for all I was worth. Angela was the only one would smile at me or say 'hi' anymore. Ang was nice but she just didn't understand what I had been going through. She and Ben Cheney were precisely two halves of a whole. Perfectly matched. Equal. Partners in destiny.

"Anyway Bells" Charlie sighed. "It's your birthday in a month and I feel like you haven't been able to have fun and enjoy life in a while. And, I want you to be _happy. _You're my only daughter Bells and it kills me to see you miserable. I think that we should go for a holiday somewhere together. Just you and me having fun in ITALY!"

I stared at him in shock. Italy? _Italy?_

"Bells please." Charlie almost pleaded. "We could all do with an escape every once in a while."

I thought about it for a minute before making up my mind. Anything that made Charlie happy would make me remotely happy too. I grinned, watched as Charlie visibly relaxed.

"Okay." I said. "I'm in."

Italy, here I come!

**Charlie**

No words could describe the joy, relief and euphoria I felt when my lovely daughter agreed to go on holidays with me. In my mind, I made a list of places to go and attractions to see. The cities of Florence, Rome, Venice and classic Volterra came to mind. Yes. I would make this the become and absolutely unforgettable and special adventure.

Bella was worth it.

It wasn't every day my darling girl turned nineteen.

Last year, Bella had a horrible birthday. Any fun was overshadowed by the darkness when that bastard, Edward Cullen (I couldn't even think of his name without fuming) left. I was infuriated. Bella cared so much about him and all the thanks she got was to be abandoned in the forest.

The kid was lucky that he was out of the state. I would have murdered him and burned the pieces.

My daughter deserved better than Edward Cullen. She deserved to be cherished as the fine, caring woman she was not as a bastard's toy.

Two weeks had passed and then three. Soon enough, it was time for Bella and I to relieve ourselves from little Forks and get a look into the greater world. I was excited and I could easily see the sly grin my daughter was bearing upon her angelic face. A sight that would bring content to any father. That my daughter had finally had brightness and hope in her eyes, the peaceful facade had vanished only to be replaced by the real thing. Fierce determination.

"Dad?" Bella said, her voice had developed a lighter tone. "Thanks for being there when everyone else turned their backs. Thanks for understanding. Thanks for believing in me. Thank you so much."

I grinned widely and heart fully accepted my daughter's hug.

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	2. Chance

**Woe guys! Thanks for all your kind reviews! So, as promised, I've worked at double speed to get this chapter written. Two days! Omph, I'm actually quite pleased! So, hope you all enjoy this chapter!**

**Disclaimer- All recognisable, characters and places belong to S Meyer.**

**Chapter Two: Chance**

**Edward**

Today was Bella's nineteenth birthday, marking one year since that disastrous birthday party that had forced me to make some heartbreaking decisions. One year since I left my angel. One year without her illuminating guidance, her beacon touch. One year of being alone.

For around nine months, I distracted myself with the hunt for Victoria. I wanted to eliminate all the bloodthirsty demons (including myself) from Bella. I had tracked Victoria; from Washington to Washington DC and various loopy goose hunts in between. Just outside Texas, luck was finally on my side. Victoria managed to get sandwiched in between myself and some old friends of Jasper's: Peter and Charlotte. With their experiences in the Newborn Wars and my mind reading ability, we were able to annihilate her.

But, it wasn't a sense of joy or success I felt when the last of her flame like hair turned to ashes. I only felt a dull satisfaction and an overwhelming sense of dark emptiness,

*_Flashback*_

I watched the fire as it slowly began to diminish. In both my peripheral vision and my mind, I knew that Peter and Charlotte were watching me. They were both worried. Apparently, my eyes and face were empty; apparently, I looked to be in a mysterious trance.

_He looks so lost. I wonder why. _Was Charlotte's recurring thought. _Cheer up Edward. _Concerned, Peter still managed to stay light and cheery.

In the end, I thanked Peter and Charlotte before deciding that there was only one place where I could go now (returning to Bella was an impossibility). Back to my family. Back to Carlisle and Esme who had cared for me since my early days. Back to my siblings, Alice and Emmett in particular. Back home.

*_End Flashback*_

So now, here I was. In a loving environment, so loving that it was torture. My family were living in Detroit and had enrolled at the local high school. Since I had arrived late, I decided to skip this chapter of education.

But, that wasn't the only reason why I didn't want to go to school. I was afraid. I was afraid of seeing Bella appear amongst the crowd. I was afraid of the onslaught of memories which played over and over in my head. I was afraid of the predictable flirting of every hopeful girl. And, I didn't want anything to do with them.

My dead, cold, frozen, unbeating heart only belonged to Bella.

**Bella**

"Happy birthday Bella!" Charlie called jubilantly as he handed me a small rectangular package with icy blue gift wrap. "This is for you. I bought it back in Venice."

I felt myself blushing; my cheeks were no doubt glowing red. "Dad! You didn't! I said no presents!" I exclaimed.

I _always _asked for people not to but me presents. It was completely unnecessary. But, this was Charlie, so I could hardly say 'no' to his eager face.

"Open it Bells." That touching, loving, fatherly request put tiny little flutters to my heart.

My fingers obeyed and fortunately managed to peel off the gift wrap in peace. Hence, no vampire lost control and accidentally went pouncing for my neck where a thick torrent of warm blood flowed. I lifted the lid of the velvet box up and I could feel my jaw plummet straight to the floor. My heart began beating erratically. Why?

Why?

Because I saw the most beautiful piece of jewellery that I had seen in my whole life, rated right up with the baubles given to me by the Cullens. It was simple in design, very inexpensive, yet gave me a feeling of warmth and comfort.

The necklace consisted of a silver chain where a simple yet elegant pendant of intertwined hearts lay. Around the heart was a small sentence of text reading, "Love is life's greatest adventure."

How could that line make me think of anybody or thing other than Edward? No. It couldn't. _Edward. _I thought wistfully. _Edward. _

My heart. My soul. My light and dazzling world.

I fell asleep that night with contentment.

Next morning, Charlie woke me up with the promise of surprises. Urgh. I utterly detested surprises of all colours, shapes and sizes. We rode in a taxi; Charlie went overboard, making me wear a blindfold. Double urgh. The thin strip of black cloth was not only itchy but probably made me look like a sloth. My father was amused by my incoherent grumblings.

After what seemed like an eternity, I finally was able to see again. It took me a couple of seconds to adjust to the light. I looked out the window to see a very old looking city where a huge castle made of white speckled stone loomed over a tidy square and clock tower.

"This Bells" Mt father began with awe. "Is the city of Volterra."

The name brought back a memory from a long forgotten English class.

*_Flashback*_

"I was so worried Bella." Edward said, as we whispered, unheard by the rest of the class. "And I knew I wasn't about to live without you. My brothers, Emmett and Jasper would have never helped. So, this left only option. Volterra, a city in Italy. Home of the Volturi."

"The Volturi?" I asked. "Who are they?"

"The Volturi are a coven, considered as the leaders of the vampire world." Edward informed me, an odd glimmer in his eyes. "Carlisle actually lived with them for a couple of decades. He described them as more refined that the vampires of London sewers but human blood drinkers all the same. They rarely leave Volterra unless it is to go out and uphold the law, vampires who threaten to expose us and so on. The Volturi have three leaders: Aro the founder alongside Marcus and Caius."

"And, how many of them are there?" I was really intrigued now.

"It changed." Edward explained. "There are only a few permanent members of the guard. Alec, Jane and Demetri are the most well known; famous for their abilities. I only know that Demetri is the world's most prized tracker. I think the temporary guards stand at about forty, maybe fifty.

You just don't anger the Volturi. Unless you want to die."

* _End Flashback*_

So, this was Volterra. And somewhere here was where the vampire royalty resided. I was going to bet that they were somewhere underground, out of view from humans and out of the way from the sun. However, the general scene of the city seemed appropriate. There was a haughty dignity along each of the walls. Volterra was beautiful but modest enough not to gain too much unwanted attention.

Volterra took my breath away.

"I'll let you just have a quick look around." Charlie said, amused by my obvious wonder. "There is something else I still have to get for you. One hour. And a half."

He left with a cheerful wink; I grumbled. More presents. Oh joy! Note the sarcasm. Hadn't Charlie already done enough for me? I certainly thought so. My father had listened when nobody else had the patience, understood when others brushed me off as 'still in shock' and on top of all that brilliance had flown me to Italy. My debt to Charlie was way overdue.

I sighed. I really wanted to take a closer look at the castle. It had the general look and feel of the medieval time period, yet the extravagant furnishings belonging to the Renaissance, I began to cross the square, pushing my way through people when I heard a voice.

"Special offer for a tour of Volterra castle! Today only! Half price!" That definitely pulled on my strings and I quickly paid the fare.

The guide's name was Heidi. She was beautiful, but to my eyes not as gorgeous as Rosalie. With blonde hair and large, deep blue eyes (that even had a hint of indigo), it was no wonder that many of the guys were drooling everytime they caught a glimpse of her ass.

I loved the flamboyant walls; they reminded me so much of Esme and her passion. The grand ceilings were also magnificent.

"Welcome to Volterra." Said a wispy, papery voice and I looked up with curiosity to see a man wearing black robes.

With red eyes. Surrounded by others in black robes. With red eyes. I hadn't noticed them when I came in. With pale skin. White as snow.

"Vampires." I whispered a word I had not uttered for so long.

Volturi. Vampires. Red eyes. Volturi. Blood drinkers. Hunting. Shit. Castle. Volturi. Crap. Volturi. Vampires. Red eyes. Volturi. Blood drinkers. Hunting. Shit. Castle. Volturi. Crap. Volturi. Vampires. Red eyes. Volturi. Blood drinkers. Hunting. Shit. Castle. Volturi. Crap.

As I saw their eyes turn to dark crimson, I closed my eyes. And prepared to die.

**Please review! Any guesses for what's going to happen next? Special bonus Volturi insight (pre - twilight) for anyone who guesses correctly. Good luck!**

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	3. Saviour

**H****ey! Thanks to all the wonderful people who reviewed Chapter Two! And congratulations to those who guessed right! So, here comes Chapter Three! You guys should all be happy because I've written more than usual! ;)**

**Chapter Three: Saviour**

**Demetri**

We waited for Heidi to arrive. I could hear traces of unsteady human footsteps at the fringe of the castle. Beside me, Felix growled already imagining the flavour of flowing blood, slithering across his lips. A few metres away, Jane and Alec conversed in low tones; they were discussing the latest batch of in training newborns. I tuned them out as Heidi's scent wafted forwards, the heartbeats of around thirty five heartbeats in tow. Some beat fast, some beat slow but either way they all pumped blood. And that's what I was here for. The blood.

Heidi walked in, winking at us while Aro stood up. I surveyed the humans, most of which were staring at the walls or ceiling in awe. There was a little girl who looked tasty but it was not her that had me fascinated.

There was one female who was perhaps eighteen or nineteen years old. She had long, wavy brown hair with eyes reflecting rich chocolate.

Suddenly, I became overwhelmed by a strange emotion. Not thirst or desire but a longing to _protect. _In fact, more that protect..........was this burning sensation not in my throat but in my cold, dead, frozen heart...._love? Want? Lust? _Was this a piece of how Felix and Heidi felt towards each other? Or was this more similar to Alec and Jane's familial connection?

Was this enchanting human my mate? Is that even _possible? _

Barely two seconds had passed; Aro was still preparing to speak. I knew that I would have very limited time if I were to save this beauty from the carnage that was surely to come. I would change her myself if I had to.

"Welcome to Volterra." Aro said and I prepared myself; in my peripheral vision, the girl had an odd glimmer in her eyes.

Was it shock? Recognition?

"Vampires" Despite the gravity of the situation, hearing her whispered words sent tingles down my spine. And then, I realised that this meant she knew. Others would try to kill her for sure.

Before anyone else could take their pick, I ran, scooping her into my arms. I saw her eyes flash open and her mouth drop in an 'O'. Both she and I could hear the terrified yells of the other humans. Loud growling and snarling also rang around the throne room. It may have just been her human body temperature but I felt a river of warmth when she buried her had on my shoulder. I took a small sniff, to make sure that I would remember her scent forever.

"Demetri!" Felix called out as he charged towards me; I moved into a semi crouch and growled lowly. "Woah! Just not thirsty yet? It's okay! Heidi's going back out later. I'll take that one."

I let her stand up and moved in front of her, growling. Most of the vampires in the room had turned to stare. Felix took a couple of steps backwards and raised his hands in surrender. I relaxed a little to notice that the young woman was almost clinging to my shadow. Well, cloak.

"Well well well." Said Aro lightly as he descended down. "What do we have here? Demetri?"

Now, this was an area that I had no real experience in. Asking Aro for major favours; usually, I wasn't the greedy type.

"I would like to keep here." I said quickly, placing my hand in his.

I watched Aro's face carefully as he took in my most recent crazed emotions. Not that it helped. He had an amazing poker face. When Aro let go, he had a look of scrutiny in his eyes. I noticed that most of the vampires were not breathing although the scent of fresh human blood still lingered in the air.

"What is your name?" Aro asked her; in a way, I was happy because she wasn't dead yet.

"Bella." She whispered in her harmonious voice. "Bella Swan."

So that was her name. Bella. It was just as beautiful as the person in question. Bella. But, realising the uncleared danger of the situation I zoned back in.

"May I?" Aro inquired offering his palm; this had to be a good thing for me right?

_Bella _looked in my direction. I wanted to smile but I just couldn't. She was looking to me for _guidance. _I nodded and watched as she timidly stretched out her slender hand and placed it delicately in Aro's. In the background, Caius was barking for everybody to get back to work now that feeding time was over. I glanced as Aro dropped Bella's hand.

"Amazing!" Aro exclaimed. "Absolutely amazing!"

I wasn't sure how to think. Had Aro seen something that would make up the decision for him? Or, had Aro found out the reason why Bella knew about vampires? And, hence found another coven he could punish. I sneaked a glance at Bella who was looking rather scared and bewildered at the same time; it was cute! _Geez Demetri, you're starting to sound cheesier by the very second. Get a grip! _

"Amazing." Aro muttered yet again; Caius was now descending from the thrones.

"What is it brother?" he hissed.

"I cannot read her mind." Aro stated with an air of amusement. "Human yet immune to my powers. I do wonder if she's immune to all our talents. Jane?"

I felt a sense of dread as my master called upon Jane. Jane's illusion of pain was a nasty gift and I didn't like the idea of her being allowed to use her gift on Bella. But as I looked at Aro's face, I knew I had no choice. Aro was curious and would have to get an answer before he was mildly satisfied.

Jane came over, having heard the later parts of the conversation.

"Yes master?" Jane didn't even need to call Aro 'master' but she liked to do so anyway.

"Why don't you see if your gift works on Bella here?" Aro asked lightly; his voice went up near the end.

I pulled my lips back; I wanted to protest but I knew that it would do more harm than good. Aro hated defiance. Although, a little defiance every now and then was fun. Now was just a bad time.

I watched as Jane's pupils contracted and waited for the scream of pain that was inevitable. To my surprise, I couldn't hear it. And yes, I was an experienced vampire with no known disabilities. I heard Marcus's gasp as I looked back at Bella. She was still standing where I had last recalled her to be. She looked fine, well beautiful but wearing a kitten's face of confusion.

"Nothing." Jane stated coldly; I felt relieved.

Geez! When had life needed to be so complicated and so stressful for me? All had changed in a matter of moments! Heartbeats! When in my seven centuries had I felt _nervous? _I had been excited, happy, mischievous and cunning, but nervous was not an emotion I was accustomed to.

"Well then." Aro said curtly, but with an authority that could not be denied. "I guess the choice is yours Bella. Will you join us? As a vampire amongst the Volturi? There is so much potential that you have."

I held my breath.

**Bella**

By logic, the next time I opened my eyes; I should be dead. However, it seemed that fate had other plans for me.

I felt the ground disappear from beneath my feet and the whoosh of wind as I landed in a pair of stony arms. I would like to hope that Edward had appeared out of nowhere to save me but I shoved that fantasy away. The odds of that happening were nearly a million to one.

I had to open my eyes. I had to look around. I had to find out what the hell was going on.

I opened my eyes and my jaw quickly dropped into the shape of an 'O'. I was in the arms of a really handsome male vampire. There was some sort of carefree cool in his blonde brown hair. His face was angular and he wore the expression of a warrior. Yet, he wasn't draining my blood. I shuddered as I glimpsed a young girl's head fall limply to the ground and heard extremely loud growling. But I wasn't getting ripped into the mess. So, this made him my saviour. This god body had saved my life, extended it for at least another few minutes.

My saviour.

The terrified yells and violent growls were becoming too much. I buried my head in his shoulder, trying to drown out the cacophony.

"Demetri!" yelled another male voice; it sounded far too close for comfort and I heard a low rumble from the chest of the vampire holding me. "Woah! Just not thirsty yet? It's okay! Heidi's going back out later. I'll take that one."

I shivered impulsively. The second vampire's voice was youthful but it creeped me out all the same. I was put back onto the ground. My back faced a pristine marble wall while the vampire (I presumed his name was Demetri) crouched down in front of me. Extending my life. Again.

I tried to make myself as small as possible. It didn't work. I heard the voice of the one who had spoken when I first came in. I saw him work quickly but elegantly towards me.

"Well well well" he said lightly. "What do we have here? Demetri?"

Ah. So my saviour's name was Demetri. Hmmm.....odd name.

"I would like to keep her." Demetri stated; I wondered what that meant. Was I still going to die?

The vampire who had an authoritive air about him (probably the coven leader....Aro?) stepped around Demetri to face me. I wanted to flinch back from those cold red eyes but there was no room. I was standing next to a wall, one that could not be budged by the forces of a mere human.

"What is your name?" Aro asked me; my heartbeat was racing.

"Bella." I whisper gulped. "Bella Swan."

"May I?" Aro asked, stretching his palm in my direction.

I glanced at his papery hand in confusion. Was I supposed to touch it or something? I glanced at Demetri who nodded; I hated to admit it but that nod gave me confidence. Timidly, I placed my hand in his. Aro closed his eyes and his brow puckered in concentration that I could not explain.

Then he stopped. The room was now a lot emptier; the absolute stillness and silence unnerving.

"Amazing!" He exclaimed loudly. "Absolutely amazing!"

I was bewildered; no, to say that would be a vast understatement. Shocked. Surprised. Startled. Confused. Afraid. Uncertain. What was so amazing about me, an ordinary plain human called Bella Swan that had the king of the vampire world in joyful spirits? It appeared that I was not the only one who had come down this train of thinking.

"What is it brother?" Yet another vampire hissed; I presumed that he was either Marcus or Caius.

"I cannot read her mind." Aro said with chagrin (Ah! So, that was his gift!). "Human yet immune to my powers. I wonder if she is immune to all of our talents. Jane?"

Edward had told me that Jane was one of the most dangerous vampires in the world. Not that he had ever mentioned why; I had no clue as to what she could do. I looked at the vampire walking steadily towards me. She was quite petite; that was all I could make out as the rest of her face was concealed by the shadow of her black hood. I got the feeling that I _should _be scared.......but many people claimed that my instincts were backwards anyways.

"Yes master?" Jane asked; her voice was a venomous mix of both malice and sugar sweet.

"Why don't you see if your gift works on Bella here?" Aro said and the hooded figure nodded.

She turned to face me. I waited, waited for whatever was going to come. Whether it was pain, mood swings or getting thrown into the air; I waited. But, I felt nothing except for the thumps of my heart thundering away in my chest. I was perplexed; whatever this powerful ability was.....it didn't _seem _to be having much of an effect did it?

"Nothing." Jane said coldly before taking a couple of steps back.

"Well then" Aro declared in a loud, carrying tone. "I guess the choice is yours Bella. Will you join us? As a vampire amongst the Volturi? There is so much potential that you have."

My jaw dropped yet again. It was true that I had always wanted to be a vampire, but did that still apply? Yes. _Yes. _I knew that my heart still wanted to be part of the supernatural. It felt good to know that I had been offered a place among the law enforcers. Charlie had rubbed off on me. Big time. Yes.

I had made up my mind.

The direction of my life had changed in a heartbeat.

I wanted to be a vampire.

I wanted to join the Volturi.

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	4. Decision

**Thanks to every person who reviewed! Your comments mean a lot to me! From now on, I am going to try to make the chapters longer than they previously were. So, enjoy!**

**Disclaimer- All recognisable characters and locations are property of Stephenie Meyer.**

**Chapter Four: Decision**

**Demetri**

It was as though every vampire in the room had frozen as Bella deliberated over the proposal. Aro. Marcus. Caius. Jane. Felix. Renata. Me. Everyone. The silence was once again, a sign of tension. I was frozen in place. Even if I wanted to move, I wouldn't be able to. It was as though my whole life was fringing on Bella's decision. It may sound impossible. After all, I had only know Bella for a few short moments but I already felt a certain pull towards her that made me wish to hold her close.

And time was a curse. Even if it was only a couple of seconds now (or so I hoped), the long centuries I had waited before anybody held a spark of light was ages indeed.

_*Flashback*_

It was some year in the 1800's. When one had lived for as long as I had, the passing years were not even worth counting. It was like a day to a human had become a year to me. Purgatory.

Apart from travelling the world in the forefront of Volturi conquest and dealing some studies in art, literature and music; there was rarely anything dramatically new in my life. I was humble (ish) and content. But, there was a part of me that felt wistful.

Why? The answer was simple.

I was _alone._

Alone, but not in the literal sense. I was surrounded by many vampires, most which were fine company. I was close to Alec, Jane and Heidi; Felix was a great companion. But, there was a part of me which longed for someone to share my life with. Five centuries had passed by, I still was yet to discover to whom my 'unique bond' resided with. I wanted a 'someone' just like Felix had found Heidi.

"You'll find her one day." Alec said. "Be thankful it's not some crazy bitch who is only concerned about money money money."

"Like Jane?" I suggested, trying to keep a straight face.

Alec growled and lunged.

I laughed, but could not keep my wishes and hopes away.

_*End Flashback*_

My advanced brain and memory had managed to fast forward the scene. Bella was still preparing to speak; I was hopeful that she would accept Aro's offer and stay with us. The consequences........I didn't want to think about. I didn't want to imagine a world here Bella ceased to exist; I knew that if Bella really was my soul mate; I couldn't afford to lose her. Look at Marcus; losing Didyme to the Romanians had not fared well for him. The blank, bored looks he gave everyone were rather eerie.

"I've made a decision." My head hastily turned to look at Bella, afraid of what was coming next.

"Yes, I will join." She stated before adding. "But, I want to leave something for Charlie, my dad. A note, a gift for everything he's done for me over the last year. I won't reveal the secret or anything; I just need him not to worry."

I yearned to comfort her; tears were starting to build in those beautiful, brown eyes.

"Of course Bella!" Aro exclaimed, sounding rather cheery. "Heidi can take you to Gianna where you can write something to your father."

Heidi nodded and began to move towards the exit; she gestured to Bella who quickly followed out of sight. Felix chuckled when she almost fell into the ornate doors. I decided to tune out the conversation and give Bella some privacy. I returned my focus to the three leaders. Aro had both palms outstretched, one brushing against Marcus's finger; the other with Caius. He let go.

"So now we have the pressing task of deciding who will change Bella" Aro said thoughtfully. "I think it should be Demetri."

What? I was momentarily stunned. I didn't exactly have the best track record with keeping humans alive. I had frequently tried to take a snap at Theresa, the former human receptionist.

"You see." Aro continued. "Marcus senses that the two of you have a young but growing bond. Hence, it would be the lowest risk option. After all, Bella does have some very formidable gifts. She is still a human; imagine the potential!"

Renata scoffed loudly; everybody ignored her. Most of the Volturi guards were aware of her envy about somebody else being 'Aro's pet'. Most of her frustration was directed at Jane but she loved every opportunity to showcase her disdain.

I had to appear solemn. "If you wish master. Then I will change Bella myself."

And hopefully, that would go well rather than blow up in my face.

"Excellent!" Aro said brightly. "When she gets back, take her to one of the guest rooms. And the rest is obvious."

"Yes master." I answered, hoping that I did not betray any of the nerves that I felt. Strong and confident. Strong and confident. Strong and confident.

I waited, listening as the room emptied out except for Aro, Marcus, Caius and I. There was silence. We were all listening to Bella as she told Heidi the location of the motel she and her father were supposed to be staying at. Then, they began to return to the throne room, chatting idly. The footsteps edged nearer and their scents became more pronounced.

Heidi entered first and Bella was looking visibly brighter; she wore a gentle, content smile.

"Demetri." My master commanded with a curt nod.

"Bella." I said steadily. "Are you ready?"

Because I certainly was not.

Strange how a vampire usually of great confidence could suddenly switch into being nervous or jittery (on the inside). Bella nodded. I breathed quickly, trying to lose the tension gathered in my shoulders.

"Alright" I sighed, easily picking her up and running to one of the unoccupied guest rooms.

Her heartbeat was racing as I laid her down onto the bed. Yet still, her eyes remained determined and calm. They calmed me down too. I braced myself; I got ready. Somewhere in the castle Jane was yelling while Felix and Heidi made out. But, I ignored them.

I diverted all my attention to the beautiful woman before me.

And I bit her.

**Charlie**

I didn't want to go back to the motel and sleep, not when I had no idea where Bella was. She had basically vanished. All afternoon, I had been urging the Italian authorities, glad that my basic vocabulary was holding up okay. I remembered the last time that Bella had disappeared; she had been only three.

_*Flashback*_

"Bella! Bella!" I called out frantically. "Bella!"

I had left her in the front yard for five minutes to get a phone call but the world was already having a vendetta against me; hence, it had chosen to snatch my daughter away. She was not in the garden or around the side yet I hadn't heard any vehicles coming onto the street. I looked to my right. The forest? No, Bella wasn't a fan of foliage or trees. Could she have returned into the house?

I rushed in, ignoring the door as it prepared to slam.

"Bella! Bella!" I yelled.

I was prepared to go psycho when I heard the sound of an upstairs door opening.

"Yes daddy?" An absent minded voice said from the top of the stairs.

It was Bella. She was holding a book with diagrams of coloured animals on the front cover. I was immediately relieved, having been so overcome with worry. I ran over and gave my baby girl a hug.

"I just got cold," Bella said simply but cutely. "So I went inside, I didn't mean to make you angry."

Angry?

"I'm not angry Bells" I told her. "But, don't ever do that to me again."

_*End Flashback*_

If only, the past could repeat itself. If only Bella could pop up in the middle of the room, telling me that she had simply become bored of the city or it was just not her thing. I wished but I was not very hopeful. If the world was cruel enough to give me years of bad fortune, why would it suddenly try to make me happy? No way!

I wasn't hungry despite eating only a little bit today. Stress did that to me. I sat down at the desk and placed my head in my hands. I wanted to cry but my body wouldn't co operate. No, chief of police, Charlie Swan had toughened up over the years; I was not used to expressing much emotion.

My hand brushed against the timber, surprised when I encountered something that wasn't quite wood.

It was a piece of paper with my name written on it. My heart thumped loudly. I recognised Bella's handwriting immediately. I was getting a bad feeling in my chest but I shoved it aside. Stay positive. Easier said than done. Stay positive.

_Dad,_

_It's me. Bella. I'm sorry that it had to be this way. But, going to Italy and seeing Volterra had made me realise what I want to do with my life. Something that I never realised before. I want to see more of the world; there are so many wonderful beauties that I have never had the chance to see._

_I promise that it's not you, dad. You'll always be one of the most important people in my life, if not the MOST important. I will never forget you. I promise to write back to Forks every month or so. And, I'm sorry that we couldn't have a proper goodbye._

_I love you. Sorry._

_Bella._

The page fell limply from my numb fingers; I was in shock. I didn't know what to do; I didn't know what to say.

"Bella." I whispered before collapsing to the ground.

**Bella**

How long did I have left? Surely this was almost over now. How many hours had I already laid here? How many days?

There was no way to describe the pain. It was pure torture. There was like a fire all over my body, burning through my hands and feet; it was merciless and dark. If you could imagine a hot poker being shoved down your throat; amplify that by a thousand and you still won't get close.

But I refused to yell. I wouldn't shout.

I was sure that my senses were developing already. I could hear conversations from all over the castle. A powerful strong voice which could only be Aro's speaking to somebody else, someone unfamiliar. Occasionally, the gruffer tones of Caius and Marcus would also join in. I could hear a soprano voice, quick and witty with matching small steps; I assumed that those belonged to Jane. And then, very close to my bed was a set of heavier footsteps pacing around. Demetri.

I wondered how I was suddenly able to match up all these things when I hadn't been able to in my human life.

I clenched my teeth shut. I didn't want to scream. Instead, I listened to the rhythm of my heart as it began to accelerate madly. I was momentarily relieved; either Carlisle or Emmett had told me this meant that the end of the transformation was coming. Next second, the pain. The furious fire.

Ouch! The burning engulfed my heart as it beat even faster. I wanted to cry out in agony, bring the castle down with my screams. But I didn't.

"Nearly time now." Somebody said; was it Felix? Where had he come from?

Then the room fell silent as my lightning fast heartbeat jerked to a stop. I could hear more people, their light footsteps stopped in the doorway.

Slowly, I opened my eyes.

**Love it? Hate it? Want to make a suggestion? Please REVIEW! REVIEW! Also tell me whether you want to still get glimpses of what's going on with Charlie. If now, well farewell Chief Swan. :(**

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	5. Visions

**To all you wonderful reviewers - this is for you! A chapter posted way earlier than I would have anticipated! And, we'll check in with the Cullens (not Edward though) :).**

**Disclaimer- If you recognise a Cullen, they belong to Stephenie Meyer. If you hear about a Volturi, they belong to Stephenie Meyer too. And if anyone says the name Bella Swan, you know where she's from. Stephenie Meyer. lol**

**Chapter Five: Visions**

**Alice**

It has been too long. Before, I had doubted that Edward could last a week without seeing Bella. Now, it appeared that he _could _last without seeing the love of his life but not without losing himself in the process. Right now, my dear brother was hunting; Emmett and Jasper had manhandled him out the door.

I missed Bella too. I missed my best friend. Her nineteenth birthday had just passed by; I wondered if she had received any presents like a whole wardrobe full of clothes.

Suddenly, I plunged into a vision.

_Bella was lying on a large bed; she had a facial expression that was incredibly nervous. Slowly, a dark hooded figure leaned over her._

_Then there was nothing. Except for darkness._

I gasped aloud. Surely not? Surely not! But before I could try to disprove this horror, I was plunged into the scariest vision of my entire life.

_Edward was walking down a passageway that was well lit but carried an ambience of great power, wealth and authority. He was closely followed by a male vampire with light coloured hair and crimson eyes._

_The doors opened; Edward strode in and walked towards the three vampires sitting on thrones, at the far side of the room. The Volturi. The ancient ones. There were many other vampires gathered around the side of the rooms well. They had to be the guards._

_The vision changed perspective._

_Now, Edward's face could be seen._

_It was empty. His eyes were dark golden but devastated, reflecting sheer torment, pain and loss. The desperation boiling there; it was like he was pleading for something, but what? Edward's whole body was slumped as though the weight of his shoulders were too difficult to bear._

"_Kill me." Edward whispered. "I don't want to live."_

No! No! No! I had just lost my best friend! I couldn't lose my brother too! Sure he was annoying and irritating and currently a disaster; Edward was fun to mess about with! So, I couldn't let him know. I couldn't tell Edward; I couldn't. No! No! NO!

"Tell me what?" I jumped having not noticed that the boys were back; I quickly shielded my thoughts, covering them up with images of Jazzy naked and songs by Jessica Mauboy translated into German.

Okay, now I had definitely made Edward nervous as I usually hated Jessica Mauboy. Oh wells, Edward was cringing away now.......But I would be crying now if I could.

"Alice?" It was Jasper. "Are you alright? Your emotions are a mess."

"Yes" I muttered.

No. I wasn't okay. I was probably a complete disaster. Jazzy knew this; he probably didn't even need his ability to do so. Without needing a hint, Jasper followed me upstairs. Edward, Emmett and Rose eyed us weirdly.

Out of sight, I curled into Jasper's chest, finding some comfort there. I let him try to calm me down but I was too far gone. Instead, I just buried my head into Jasper's body, changing the music in my head to Avril Lavigne, knowing that would keep my nosy brother away.

"Alice?" Jasper whispered after around one minute of sitting in silence. "What's wrong? Did you see something?"

Yes.

_Yes. _I could feel the grief that I had been attempting to hold back explode; Jasper himself had winced and he hadn't even discovered what had gone so horribly wrong. _Yet. _

"Alice?" Jasper whispered again, his tone laced with both sadness and worry.

"It's Bella." I managed to choke out. "She's dead."

Jasper froze; something shattered downstairs. Edward. Shit. He heard, he would......Crap.

"Emmett! Rosalie! Stop him! He's going to the Volturi!" I screamed.

**Bella**

Slowly, I opened my eyes.

And looked around for the first time in my vampire life. I saw Demetri, looking particularly handsome even with a couple of scars, visible at the base of his neck. My eyes travelled to the vampire slightly behind him. This one was tall and muscular with messy blonde hair. (**A/N: I know Felix had dark hair in the movie but I've always pictured him as a blonde.) **Felix right? This was my first good look of him.

In the doorway, stood Heidi. I got the impression that we would become great friends. Heidi was so easy to talk to; she was carefree and had a deep passion about every aspect of Volterra. Various other vampires crowded behind her eyeing me. I found myself getting irritated; why the sudden fixation?

I couldn't help it.

I growled. I was glad when the others cringed backwards. I growled again, salvaging in animalistic pleasure. I threw off the bed covers. And put myself in a crouching position. They were all potentially dangerous to me.

"Bella" I was distracted by a familiar musical voice.

I turned to see Demetri, striding towards me with his palms in a position of surrender. _Just a trick. _It could all be a lie.

"Bella" He said soothingly. "It's me."

That voice brought back memories, glimpses of my last human memories flooded before my mind. Demetri whisking me to safety. Him protecting me while I watched on in terror. The offer to join the Volturi. Demetri leaning over me as I lay, trembling in anticipation on the very bed I was next to now. I realised that I had nothing to flitter in fear about; Demetri would never hurt me. He wouldn't.

Reason began to click in my brain once more; I slipped out of my defensive crouch (a little unwillingly) and noticed that people had become less tense. I felt guilty for my burst of anger that was so unlike my personality. Had to be the vampire instincts kicking in. I was already rapidly adjusting to the heightened senses of sight, smell and hearing. It was quite cool.

"You look gorgeous." Demetri continued now that the atmosphere looked brighter.

"Thanks." Was my oh-so-intelligent response; if I were still human, I would be blushing like a ripe tomato.

There was a brief moment of silence which was broken by Heidi moving at a moderate pace towards me. In my peripheral vision, I could see Felix concentrating deeply as though he would jump to defend his mate at any second, should I become a threat. I wasn't too sure myself. While I recognised Heidi and considered her a good friend to have, I was wary. Watching her every move, aware of every flicker of her finger.

"Hey Bella!" Heidi sounded cheerful but there was an aura of caution in her tones too. "I'm sure you need to feed......but there is something I _had _to show you first."

Heidi disappeared in a flash; I snarled at the sudden movement. Demetri chuckled quietly, but I heard clear as a bell. Another softer growl escaped from my lips.

Then, Heidi was back. She held up a large, ornate full body mirror which reminded me so deeply of the one Alice had......

_*Flashback*_

I groaned as one annoying pixie vampire named Alice Cullen started to fiddle with my hair. Why was she doing this to me again? Alice knew I hated makeovers; I would rather be spending time reading or hanging out with Edward. He had been very private about a particular piano piece.......

"Come on Bella!" Alice whined pouting. "Just let me enjoy my five minutes of fun!"

"More like half an hour." I grumbled under my breath.

But of course, the little midget heard and giggled.

"Don't be a spoilsport!" Alice sang brightly. "Nearly done!"

My only response was incomprehensible grumbling.

"Ta Daa!" Alice squealed as she disappeared from the room, before dragging in a stylish full body mirror.

Alice all but pulled me towards the _thing. _I sighed before looking at my reflection. Okay, I had to admit that I looked _nice _with my hair brought back into bouncy twirls and an elegant lavender dress hung from my narrow shoulders. However, I was still _me. _Nothing too incredible, just a plain Jane. My face was ugly and plain; the stiletto heels felt uncomfortable and strange.

At Alice's insistence, I turned in a circle.

_*End Flashback*_

But, as I looked at myself now; my thoughts had turned in a different angle. The woman in front of me was _beautiful. _In every positive light. I was shell shocked. My skin (while pale in my human life) had evolved into snowy white. My hair now tumbled effortlessly down my back, reaching down to near my waist. It fell in loose waves, reflecting warm brown with a touch of red. Moving downstairs, I noticed that most of my scars had disappeared, leaving slender, perfect skin. The only exception was on my wrist, the only souvenir I had of a nomadic vampire attack.

And finally the eyes.

Violent and red; they didn't scare me. The colour of blood.

_Blood. _

The moment I thought the word, my brain went into frenzy. I wanted _blood. _And lots of it! I growled longingly. For the _blood. _To cure the red hot thirsty desire coursing down my burning throat. I patted the base of my neck, in vain hope that the sensation would fade away. It didn't work. I wanted _blood. _Hot, fresh beautiful. _Blood. _I growled loudly, as I smelled a new scent that it simply had to be human. And what ran in the veins of a human? _Blood. _Sweet _blood. _Oh joy.......

"Bella! Wait!" I jerked my head back violently at Demetri's yell. "Heidi's bringing somebody down. Don't like absolutely destroy the castle or something."

I looked at his face and my craze faltered quickly. Who was I to act so estranged? Like I really was a ghastly monster. My moment of control faltered as Heidi re-entered, waving four rather plump humans before me. Sweet. _Blood._

Without wasting another second, I pounced ignoring the shrill soprano screams. I snapped the neck of the brunette, salvaging in the fantastic liquid. It took only a second and I had killed the bald man alongside the blonde woman. They were extremely tasty; I let out a feral growl of satisfaction before finishing the other blonde. Blood oh blood! Oh joyous blood!

I stepped back to examine my own handiwork. Four utterly drained human beings with broken necks. It felt good.

That was until I realised what I had just done.

I had killed _people. _No, not just people (because some truly deserved to be eliminated from the world) but _innocent _people. People who had lives and families. People, who had never killed, harmed, had never dealt in weapons or drugs. People who now had nothing. Because of me.

I felt slightly sick.

**So, what do you think about that? REVIEW! So, I've made Bella a slightly controlled newborn who has rather frequent frenzies if she gets reminded of blood. What do you think? REVIEW! And, what's going to happen next?**

**REVIEW and we shall see!**


	6. Gifts

**I'm really disappointed with the number of reviews I received for Chapter Five... So unfortunately, there's been quite a wait for this chappy. One clue to faster updates: REVIEW! They make every writer happy.**

**Disclaimer- All characters are property of Stephenie Meyer.**

**Chapter Six: Gifts**

**Demetri**

There was only one word to describe Bella. Beautiful. Absolutely beautiful. _So _beautiful that the word just wasn't enough.

I watched her neck whip around with acute sharpness when Heidi entered the room; four humans walked in timidly. It was lovely to watch Bella as she elegantly covered the distance, breaking necks in a second. She fed. I felt a small pang of thirst but I bit back the sensation. This was Bella's first time feed; my own desires could wait for later.

I sighed internally, I had only hunted once during Bella's change and this was because I hadn't fed with everyone else the last time around.

And then she turned around, the four drained lay limply on the floor. Bella's eyes were wide with an emotion that could only be horror. Horror? But, what could Bella see that could possibly be so awful? _Me? _

"Bella?" I asked tentatively; she was still a newborn after all. "Is anything the matter?"

I was worried. I hoped she wasn't regretting her decision to become a vampire.

"No, not really." Bella mumbled softly; her voice tore at my frozen heart.

I waited patiently for a couple of seconds.

"Like, how do you do it?"Bella asked in a broken whisper. "How do you forget their faces, flashing the life of somebody who's now gone? How do you just ignore them as people and treat them as food?"

Ah, the morality questions.

"It'll pass." I said confidently, but on the inside I was compelled to reach out and touch her, sliding down her pale cheek or fingering her luscious brown hair. Caught in the moment. Couldn't have a Demetri without that trait. I just stared into Bella's eyes. I sighed loudly; even red and bloody, they were a beauty.

Small footsteps echoed from down the hall; they forced me to break eye contact. I looked up to see Jane.

"That's enough." She stated in her clear, commanding voice. "Aro wants us both of you in the throne room. Now. Eleazer's here. We're calling her Skye."

I nodded, when I heard a loud animalistic snarl. It was to my slight surprise, Bella. Bella growled loudly, the feral sound echoing against the walls. Newborn instinct. I leapt forwards, taking a firm grip on Bella's upper arms and directing her away from Jane who was seething and showing her perfect teeth.

I had to wait one hundred and sixty three seconds before Bella had calmed down sufficiently; I was quite pleased at myself for single handedly calming a newborn. I watched as the insane frenzy on my angel's face gave way to apology. It was cute but so damn hot at the same time.

"Sorry about that" I grinned at Bella's sheepish expression. "I don't know what got into me."

"I only came to deliver a message from Aro." Jane sniffed, breaking the comfortable silence between Bella and I. "But if I'm just going to get growled at, I may as well leave this instant. Enjoy Aro's wrath."

Jane was a good friend to have in the Volturi, but when she was pissed, it didn't matter if you were friend or foe.

I groaned. "Jane!" I pouted, rearranging my features into the face she couldn't resist; it reminded her of Alec in his old human days. "Come on! Tell me!"

"I've told you everything you need to know already." Jane spat; I could tell her resolve was faltering. "Just go to Aro."

In a twirling of black cloak, Jane was gone. It was just me and Bella. I _really _hoped that her thirst was half satisfied. Say her control (though already amazing for just a newborn) slipped when we were with Aro...No way in hell did I want to go there. I beckoned to Bella and at a nice jog we went towards the throne room.

I reached out and took hold of her slender hand.

**Aro**

Jane had left me mere seconds ago; I was now chatting idly to Eleazer. He was once a Volturi guard, approximately one hundred years ago but now Eleazer rarely returned. Only when I asked would Eleazer come by and only when I was certain of a special talent would I ask.

I knew Bella had a _something_, currently undefined. If the characteristic had been present in humanity, it was likely to stick around in the vampire life. Experience had given me such. But, I had never met someone with the potential as great as dear Bella. I had not caught a whisper of her mind; I saw no images or sounds. Oh, I couldn't even begin to imagine how developed her peculiar gift could be. Immune to me, immune eve to Jane. Precious.

I could hear footsteps from the left wing. A moment later, Demetri alongside Bella (who had transformed beautifully) waltzed into the room. Their movements were elegant and well co ordinate, as though perfectly rehearsed. Since when had Demetri, the no fuss tracker, acted like such a gentleman? It made no sense whatsoever.

"Master?" He announced his presence.

I only nodded; now was not the time for pleasantries. It was down to business. I wanted, no _needed _to find out the capabilities of the newest vampire here...Oh, such power.

I let my eyes flicker over to Eleazer. His mouth was parted in astonishment. Eleazer's gold (shameful) eyes were wide and sparkling.

"This is Skye." I said brushingly. "What gifts does she have?"

And, Eleazer, you had better tell me...Or I'll just have to acquire the knowledge forcefully...Something that I was more than happy to do.

"Aro" he stated flatly, but not without emotion. "You have the ultimate defensive shield! It's hard to tell; she's blocking me but I think that Skye may also have the ability to absorb likewise gifts. Hence, she may be able to conjure physical and mental barriers alongside force fields and sound proofness."

How very interesting! A sponge shield! I would have to than Demetri later for finding such a powerful girl.

I thanked Eleazer after asking him about Carmen. He almost ran out of the room when I had bid my farewell. So desperate to get away from me. Such a waste. What a shame.

It was then I noticed Bella, who was looking extremely confused. I sighed before turning my lips into a smile.

We'd have to begin training as soon as possible.

**Carlisle**

I couldn't believe what Alice had just said. How could it be true? Bella, Bella was dead? Slumped on the couch beside me, Esme was dry sobbing without shame. Despite Jasper's calming effects; I was still in shock. Bella, Bella was dead? When my family had left Forks one year ago, I had always expected to see Bella again. I had expected that Edward's composure would slip and he would beg to go back.

And yes we would.

The family had deteriorated dramatically since the departure. Even a blind man would notice Alice's lack of enthusiasm about shopping or Emmett's half hearted jokes. Even Rose was subdued – She had only envied Bella's humanity, not despised the girl in question. Not only that but Jasper was wrecked with self guilt and struggled to keep his gift under control. Worst of all, Edward was a zombie. Heartbroken and sullen, my son usually refused to leave his room. The grand piano remained untouched.

Things had certainly changed. And not for the better.

What wouldn't I give to have Bella back? To have saved her from the vile black cloaked figure who caused her tragic death.

A low moan could be heard from the upper floor. I sighed sadly. It had to be Edward, who had retreated even more into loneliness since Bella's death.

I collapsed back into the couch, releasing some of the tension from my shoulders, Esme curled into my chest. It was comforting to feel her lying there – Like there was still one element of normality in this messed up world.

What wouldn't I give to have my family back?

**Not my favourite chapter to write. Too much dialogue for my liking. But, please REVIEW! Whether it was great or horrible, I'd like to know about it! Remember, the more people review the faster I will write to update! REVIEW!**

**Also, if you have spare time, vote in my profile poll. I'm going to create an archive soon for one shots and short stories - It will be helpful to know what type of site I should be posting on.**

**REVIEW! ~alicecullen5**


	7. Beginnings

**Yay! I've gotten over 100 reviews! Thanks to all the brilliant people who took the time to review - your opinions were extremely valued. So, here comes chapter 7! It's a little shorter than I had originally intended but I decided to push the drama back a chapter. I didn't really want to rush through things. Hope you guys enjoy!**

**Disclaimer - All recognisable characters are property of Stephanie Meyer who's an extremely talented author.**

**Chapter Seven: Beginnings**

**Bella**

My first day in an eternity of vampirism had certainly started with a bang. I had met Aro who told me that I was a multi purpose shield who could absorb other vampire's abilities to make one kick ass gift.

As I said. Wow.

Aro was actually quite nice. He had an alluring, charming smile and had acted rather kindly, asking me about how the transformation went. He was polite, a stark contrast to the vile image that Edward had placed in my head. Almost immediately, I had begun to respect him as somebody who was rather compassionate, though not to Carlisle's degree, with great passion in art, music and literature.

Aro wanted my training to begin as soon as possible, seeing as I had more control over my instincts than the average newborn. I had been startled to discover such, but pleased all the same.

Aro, Demetri and I were walking slowly as the boys kept pointing out different rooms to me. I nodded even though my mind had begun to drift away.

Edward hated the Volturi. Would he ever forgive me? _But, he won't ever think about you, would he? _Glumly, I remembered that Edward and his family had left _me. _They wouldn't care if I lived or died – Alice would have visited long ago. But, she hadn't; so, I must have already been forgotten. Already a mere name in the Cullen History of Befriending Stupid Humans Book.

Joy.

I may as well try to move on and forget about my time with the Cullens. It was what Edward wanted anyway. I should just settle in with my new vampire family. I should simply abandon my past and reach out for my future.

However, a part of me knew this would ever happen. I still belonged to Edward – my first and only love.

"Bella!" A friendly voice interrupted my thoughts. It was Heidi, beaming from a few metres away. "We'll have to go shopping some time! Your wardrobe needs a mass restocking and I have no idea what you like!" I smiled, in what was hopefully a grin of appreciation.

But, on the inside I was weeping. Alice, Alice was like that too. Friendly, supportive, hyper about shopping...And she left me.

Could I learn to trust again?

It was farfetched but I got the distinct impression that I could. I was already transforming mentally and would now gladly accept Volterra Castle as a home. Its inner furnishings were exotic yet reasonable. No doubt they had withstood the test of time, standing tall for centuries.

For new beginnings then.

I slowed down abruptly to avoid crashing into Demetri. Distracted with my own thoughts, I only just noticed that the procession had halted outside a huge pearly white room.

"Alright Bella." Said Aro brightly. "Let's check out this gift of yours!"

**Demetri**

Sending other newborns flying as they hit an invisible wall. Valiantly resisting Aro's efforts to read her thoughts and Alec's attempts too when he joined us half an hour later.

To say that she was amazing was a vast understatement. Bella radiantly glowed, growing alongside Aro's fascination as she created (with deep concentration) a physical barrier around her. It was awesome. It had felt like hitting tonnes and tonnes of solid concrete – even with a vampire's brute strength, I couldn't penetrate.

I grinned sheepishly.

And Bella smiled back.

She was so beautiful.

I was proud of her. Bella was only a few hours old for goodness sake!

I decided to walk Bella to her room afterwards. She intrigued me with her heavenly laugh and the adorable way she tucked her hair behind her ears. We had plenty to talk about, from tastes in music (I would be the unexpected classical lover) to philosophy. We shared one big opinion that was rare among our kind – that vampires had souls.

I was pleased that somebody else accepted this viewpoint. Even though Felix was my greatest companion, he could think rashly at times. Felix was a goofball in that way.

_*Flashback*_

_I was walking towards my quarters with Felix dragging his feet sluggishly behind me. I sighed in exasperation at the downcast, conflicted expression flashing in his eyes._

_A week ago, he had confided in me that he had feelings for the human receptionist, Heidi. To say that I was astounded would be misguiding for I had stared at him silently for a full minute before cracking up, rolling all over the ground._

_Except Felix wasn't joking._

"_She'll never love me!" Felix half groaned, half exclaimed. "Who could love such a disgusting, soulless demon?"_

_I began to speak, to say something that I had said so many times when I was cut off._

"_No! Don't say that vampires have souls!" he snapped._

_So, I said nothing and kept on walking._

_*End Flashback*_

I was really, really liking Bella as a friend.

And maybe for somebody more as well.

**Rosalie**

Bella was dead. Edward was a zombie. Alice was alternating between screaming bloody murder and killing trees. Jasper was running out of the house at random intervals. Carlisle was burying himself with work. Esme was either dry sobbing in her bedroom or yelling explicatives to the night sky.

And, Emmett wasn't joking around as much.

What about me?

I hated the fact that my family was being torn apart by a mere insignificant human being. I hated how everything was deteriorating and how my life was looking more and more like a depressing hellhole.

You see, when I insisted from the very beginning that Bella was a curse, I meant it.

Just some people realised this a little too late.

I had been pondering deeply; hence the reason I failed to notice a certain pained vampire growling behind me. The vampire's name was Edward Cullen and he was prepared to kill.

**Please review! Whether you loved this chapter or hated it - your opinion is important to me! And please mention what you're expecting to happen next. One hint - Jane. **

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	8. Instincts

**Hey guys! A very warm thanks to everybody who reviewed last chapter - you're awesome people! So, I hope you'll enjoy chapter 8. Disclaimer: I don't own any of the characters...such a shame.**

**Chapter Eight: Instincts**

**Edward**

So this was what feeling dead was like – pain, torture, misery, dismay, torture and pain. My angel was dead, gone? And for some reason I had not been allowed to join her. I was kept in my room, having nothing to do except mope and mutter her beautiful name – the only sane word that left my lips.

Bella, Bella, oh Bella. Since when did fate have to be so cruel? So unfair?

_I hated the fact that my family is being torn apart by an insignificant human. _My head snapped upwards – how dare Rosalie think like that? My angel! _My life's now a depressing hellhole. _And mine wasn't? I clenched my teeth together. _You know what I mean when I insisted that Bella was a curse._

I could feel my anger boil as I snarled flatly. I knew that my sister was a vain pig but how could she do this to me? I unhinged the door with a flick of my finger and flew down the stairs, pass Esme who yelped in surprise. I charged towards Rosalie; my primal instinct to kill took over.

I was downstairs, behind Rosalie in a flash.

And I growled.

She spun around and I was glad to see a whisper of fear and shock in her eyes. Good. I pounced, focussing on my target. My focus clearly wasn't enough because I missed, my fingers clawed through strands of hair. I hissed in frustration as I steadied myself.

"Oh my.' I heard Esme gasp; her thoughts were numb with disbelief.

"Edward stop!" Alice yelled from the bottom of the stairs.

I gave them no notice and lunged. I don't know what happened but midway through my leap, a burly black haired vampire collided with me. It was Emmett. I growled; it was a growl of my inner turmoils as I started towards him when a pair of sturdy arms gripped me from behind. Jasper.

I tried to wiggle free but it was fruitless. So, I slumped.

"Kill me" I said in a hoarse broken whisper. "Kill me. I don't want to live."

The arms relaxed a little, as though in hesitation. I could see everybody take a few steps back.

"Edward, no" Esme murmured; my heart would break if it had not been already shattered. Her expression was distraught.

But, I had made up my mind.

I wanted to die. Life, or more existing wasn't worth it when everything that I had been fighting for was gone. Bella, oh Bella. I couldn't survive without her soft warm skin; as much as her scent tortured me in its lush intensity, I craved the heavenly smell.

I shrugged myself out of Jasper's hands. He didn't dare old on when I was in this mindset but his thoughts were cautious as he assessed my mood – grief, dismay and surrender. Ignoring my family, I walked out the door. My feet seemed to lead me; my mind was a lost blur. The last thing I saw before I sprinted for the woods was a glimpse of Alice's vision.

Me...

And the Volturi...

**Bella**

"I could kill him." Demetri snarled suddenly and I jumped at the vicious sound.

I had just finished telling him my story starting from Renee's crazy antics to my vacation in Italy. I left out nothing: Renee forcing me to learn French, moving to Forks, James at the ballet studio... And Edward leaving me.

When I mentioned that part, Demetri had hissed and let out a long string of profanities. I had to remind him not to damage any of Aro's precious statues.

I was still extremely new to the Guard (it had only been three days since training room day) but I had picked up many rule of thumbs to stay alive in the castle.

1. Never insult the ancients or disrespectfully whine about their ideas.

2. Do not harm any of the statues or ancient pillars around the castle. Aro was fond of antiques.

3. Do not enter the throne room without an invitation.

4. Do not buy so many cars/motorbikes that they take up more than your allotted space in the carpark.

a) Never scratch Aro's newest car. But, Marcus's is alright because he rarely notices anyway.

5. Never piss off Jane.

The last one confused me. I had passed Jane several times and while she wasn't warm or friendly (like Heidi had been) I didn't see her as a particular bitch either. Maybe my experiences with _Edward _had changed my perspective but I saw Jane as a broken hearted girl instead, stuck in a forever body with overwhelming angst and inner turmoil. The look I sometimes saw in her eyes was cold and prickly as though she willed the world to collapse around her.

I thought back to the only real encounter we had shared.

_*Flashback*_

_I was with Alec who was showing me the way to the Volturi library collection. I liked Alec. He was easy to talk to. I felt as though we were quickly becoming friends; knowing the potential of his gift, many others avoided Alec out of fear. But honestly, Alec was nice._

_He was graceful enough, polite but could get awfully protective of Jane his sister. When I mentioned that I found her slightly scary, Alec had chuckled and insisted that I get to know her. Jane was in an adjoining corridor, barking orders at a brown haired vampire. Later, I discovered that his name was Santiago – he had a strange tendency to misinterpret simple instructions._

"_Jane!" Alec called out, tagging me along._

_I was surprised when her expression of apathy transformed almost instantly to a grin. Sure, it wasn't a smile for me. But still..._

"_This is Bella." Alec said pulling on the hem of my sleeve. "Bella, meet Jane. Jane, Bella."_

_Jane turned around and appraised me with an intense stare. It was like I was getting scanned._

"_She should be better than Renata." Jane said mildly before turning away. "Renata's an absolute cow."_

"_Don't worry about her." Alec said in a reassuring voice. "She approves of you – you're the only one who's successfully deflected her gift. She just doesn't open much to strangers."_

_*End Flashback*_

Yeah, I wasn't sure what to make of Jane.

"Bella? Bella?" Demetri was calling out my name; I hadn't realised I had zoned out.

"I'm fine" I answered meekly.

We quickly got back into conversation, talking about a whole range of topics when a loud shrill scream sounded from the training hall. I thought it was the one on the west wing. I stiffened, feeling Demetri do the same. Then, he took off.

"What! Who is it?"I asked as I followed him.

"Jane." He said. "Sometimes she gets overwhelmed when there are too many newborns. Too many for her to effectively inflict her gift. Jane's not a natural fighter. So, she needs a little assistance."

The big training room doors were in sight now. I pushed myself to run faster, glad that my newborn legs were able to pick up more speed. I was well ahead of Demetri. The door shattered as I collided with it; I rushed inside. Jane was backing into a corner, trying to regain authority but failing dismally.

I growled.

I could feel my instincts take over – similar to an adrenaline rush, a deep urge to protect. My legs were bounding in high motions as I moved in front. I was now standing beside petite Jane, What happened next was all very fast. I was willing the frantic newborns to go back and felt my shield come out with a snap. It was like a giant brick wall was forcing them away – away from me, away from Jane.

I was out of my mind.

But I was perfectly in control.

**Please review! Whether you loved this chapter or hated it with a passion - review!**

**~alicecullen5**


	9. Respect

**Once again, can I thank all my wonderful reviewers: You guys will always make my day! Please keep on reviewing and I hope you all enjoy this next chapter.**

**Chapter Nine: Respect**

**Jane**

I knew I was making a mistake. I was backing myself into a corner – not the smartest idea when a bunch of out of control newborns were trying to rip my head off. I tried to paralyse them with my gift but there were too many of them and the panic was making it almost ineffective.

My fingers scraped against the back wall. This was the end; I had no place to escape to now. I closed my eyes.

In that next second, I had no idea what had occurred. I heard a loud bang as the sound of wooden splinters falling to the floor assaulted my ears. I heard footsteps, indistinct because there were so many of them, followed by a series of loud growls. I heard teeth snapping and odd thuds.

Before all the noise stopped.

And I opened my eyes.

In my lifetime, I had seen some pretty strange things but the scene I saw had to top that list. All the newborns were squashed against the opposite wall as though held by an invisible force. Then, there was a _newborn _Bella, almost as untrained as the rogue ones, who was gazing at the scum with a mixture of shock and determination in her eyes. I glanced at Demetri, who was standing just inside the broken doorway; he stared at Bella with absolute amazement.

Something in my shell shocked brain clicked.

_Bella _was doing this. _Wow..._

_Bella _had just saved my life. I immediately felt a little guilty: but shush, don't tell anyone! Usually most of the lower guards would act like useless snobs if I ever got into difficulty – they wouldn't care if I lived or died. Only the gang as we called ourselves: Alec, Felix, Demetri and Heidi would even bother helping out or checking if I was alright. I hadn't even been _nice _to Bella. I had only spoken to her _once _and that was to announce that I hoped she was a better defensive player than that stupid Renata.

I was lost in thought as Demetri and Bella did...whatever they were doing right now. They may have been decapitating the flailing newborns and throwing the pieces into a fire and I still wouldn't have noticed.

_*Flashback*_

I was bored once again because there was nothing to do. The vampire world had been unnaturally peaceful over the last couple of years, most likely because they feared us, the Volturi. Currently, Felix and Heidi were in Russia spending some quiet time between the pair of them while Demetri was taking a bout in Northern Spain. Alec was lazily disciplining some of the lazier lower guards so I had nobody to talk to.

Yes, so did I mention that I was bored?

Bored enough to experiment irritated enough to feel like inflicting my gift on the next person unfortunate enough to cross my path (excluding, Aro, Marcus and Caius of course). Now, that person happened to be a lower guard called Chris who was followed by a few daft cronies.

I smirked at him before channelling some pain at him. Just a little. Not enough to get Chris begging me for mercy but plenty to get him writhing on his backside. I smiled cruelly, taunting at the others, daring them to help their friend. It gave me a burst of satisfaction when they stayed put, terrified.

Well, life was fun this way. It was great to feel invincible.

_*End Flashback*_

I was feared by many: feared for being one of Aro's favourites, feared for my gift. Feared for my stony facade which was only ever let down for the gang. Feared to be in the presence of. Spoken in fear.

And now, I looked back at Bella who was helping Demetri burn the wretched losers who would never become a guard. And I realised that I had to respect this girl who had somehow defied vampire odds.

_Welcome to the gang._

**Bella**

My hands moved methodically. Mimicking the movements of Demetri. Somehow I found it rather easier, almost natural and soon all the remnants of the fiery attackers were nothing more than fire and ash.

"Good work partner" Demetri told me with a smirk and I grinned back: oh how did that guy always seem to make me smile?

This amused smile dropped almost immediately when I noticed that Jane was appraising me with a peculiar look. Even at her petite height, and standing unsteadily at the other end of the room, I had to confess that she was intimidating. But when I saw her expression brighter, I couldn't help but offer a timid smile in return.

I had the impression that something would change in our relationship – and hopefully for the better.

**Alice**

I couldn't see. I was lying, sprawled on the lounge, feet propped up against the foot stool, leaning against the crook of Jasper's arm. I had a pounding headache, due to the endless hours of seeing nothing but blackness. However, the vision that I _did _receive had been short and merciless in its lack of usefulness.

_*Flashback*_

I watched as a dishevelled Edward, wearing the same trousers and shirt that he had departed in walked calmly towards in three vampires in black robes: Aro, Marcus and Caius surrounded by a dozen of their moronic guards. Each of the guards wore a blank, uncaring expression but I could see that they were tense, waiting for a hidden order.

"What can we do for you, dearest Edward?" Aro asked sociably as though depressed vampires frequently turned up on his front doorstep.

"I want to die." Edward responded flatly, not bothering to raise his voice from his dead monotone.

At that moment, the door crashed open as a pair of vampires dashed inside. Then, the room blurred and my vision went black.

_*End Flashback*_

What I couldn't see made me edgy and fearful even with Jazz's attempts to calm me down. I had no idea what the Volturi may decided and no clue who the mystery vampire who was able to block my visions may be.

My family had already been informed about this. We were all worried; Jasper was frequently unhappy with the static atmosphere of the room. He often left for a couple of hours at a time, trying to rid all the negative emotions from his system. Poor Jasper.

I sighed. Now was one of those times. Four days after Edward left, Jazz had departed for a hunt with Carlisle and Esme. Rose was suspectedly competing in a car repair competition to distract herself from her guilt. How very pitiful! I was still irritated at Rosalie for thinking such mean hostile things about Bella! We all knew that Rosalie could become a vain bitch but her attitude was disgusting!

Anyway...

I was at home with just Emmett who was flicking idly through the television channels but I could tell that his mind was elsewhere. Emmett was far too easy to read sometimes. No wonder Edward had always insisted that Emmett's mind was like a shallow pool.

"You know Alice..." Emmett began, sounding serious. "I've been wondering why we haven't been chasing Edward around the entire planet, trying to make him come home or at least not run off to the Volturi buggers."

As Emmett spoke, a vision began to form. We were somewhere in Europe, darting down the streets where we found Edward. Suddenly, I felt a surge of optimism and winked at my happy go lucky brother.

"Let's go" I stated urgently.

**Ooohh...so what do you thing? Are my chapters getting better or have they become daggier as the months drag on. Was this chapter up to standard? Please tell me in a review! PLEASE! Plus drop me a hint as to whether you want Alice and Emmett to successfully find Edward or not. Cheers!**


	10. Persuit

**Welcome back with Chapter 10: Persuit! A huge thanks to everybody who reviewed last chapter.**

**Chapter Ten: Persuit**

**Bella**

When I look back at my first four weeks of being a vampire, it was a blitz of high peaks and only a handful of lows. I had become an integral member of the 'gang' which allowed me a newfound friendship with Jane as well as spend more time with my other friends: Heidi, Felix and Alec. But the greatest highlight of all came in the charming form of Demetri.

As soon as we met, awkwardly in the middle of Volterra dinner, I knew that he would become an important person in my life. Over the past few weeks, we had developed as friends, speaking whenever we met and always finding excuses to train together. I could trust him with all my secrets, even things that I would have never told Edward knowing that Demetri would be completely honest with me in turn. I found that he had not only filled the gaping holes that Edward had left behind – Demetri made me happy, happier than I had felt in a long time.

And then there was training! Master Aro had been delighted that my better than normal amount of control allowed me to learn quickly. My gift became increasingly stronger as I met more vampires and copied their abilities. Now, I was able to protect myself from both physical and mental attacks as well as create light and sound barriers. I wasn't a very good fighter yet but I suppose that was where practice came handy.

But there were lows...of course. I was still uncomfortable with the concept of drinking human blood but it was becoming more and more natural with every time I fed (around once a day). Besides, having ruby eyes meant taking a step away from the Cullens right?

Another low for me would have been Renata. Renata was one of the lower guards, the personal bodyguard of Aro's. She was jealous of me because my gift could easily overpower her own. I had been in the library one evening, foraging through Volterra's huge collection of books when she chose to attack – presumably frustrated with her dwindling popularity. To cut a long story short, I annihilated her. Just because I was not a good _fighter _didn't mean that I couldn't _fight. _I used my shield to blunt any of her attacks before working my newborn strength to destroy her physically.

That was the day when I single handedly killed my first vampire. Jane was proud of me; she had a conflicted angsty relationship with the 'irritating twat' and was more than glad that Renata was gone. I had expected Aro to be angry because I had killed one of his guards and hence was pleasantly surprised when Aro chuckled having described Renata's mind as a shallow pool of 'whines, greed and childish immaturity.'

Come to think of it, maybe Renata was classified as a high.

Because of her, I was allowed on my first ever Volturi mission.

_*Flashback*_

I was in Northern Egypt, crouching out of sight of a rogue vampire camp. Demetri was tensed and focused beside me, searching for the ideal opportunity to stage an attack.

This particularly group had been causing a headache recently. Eleven in number, they were unpredictable: sometimes causing unbelievable damage to nearby buildings in a shocking blood fest yet sometimes playing saints. Aro had finally become tired of the cat and mouse game, ordering a group of us to head out and remove the threat.

My role would be to protect the backs of the fighters. Jane and Alec were not with us – the pair of them had been sent to deal with a minor scuffle in Japan which had caused moronic newspaper speculation.

It had been nearly sundown when Demetri gave the signal and ordered everyone (except me) to charge forwards. They had quickly overwhelmed the outnumbered camp – creating an almighty bonfire in a matter of minutes and by the time the sun had disappeared behind the great pyramids, the battle was over.

We had won."

_*End Flashback*_

In my human days, I was docile and to some degree innocently shy. I used to hate violence and the prospect of any death, even the horrible villain from a murder vendetta, even James, saddened me.

But I had changed to accept death as something destined to occur around us all the time. It was a giant cycle of nature – unstoppable, unpreventable. And you know what else was unstoppable? Demetri when he wanted to find someone. Even though I was safely immune to his gift, Demetri's gut instinct allowed him to discover my location rather effectively as well.

"Hey Bells!" he said cheerfully, emerging from an adjoining corridor and wrapping me up in a hug.

I greeted him and we walked together amiably chatting about how our days were going. But I got a sense that Demetri wanted to tell me something and this elusive _something _was playing rather heavily on his mind. I turned out to be right – freaky how strong our connection was becoming eh? We were outside one of the unused guest rooms when Demetri stopped walking suddenly. He turned around, looking extremely serious but at the same time nervous.

"Bella, I've been wanting to tell you something." He said in a near whisper. "I think I'm in love with you."

I froze not expecting him to say that. I found myself assailed by other suppressed memories. Memories of Edward, his promises and him telling me the same thing. Memories of nights when Edward snuck into my bedroom, cuddling me and most recently: Edward in the woods, cold and expressionless. _"You're not good for me."_

Blank and haunted by my previous vampire boyfriend, I did the only thing I could.

I ran.

**Demetri**

For a moment, there was silence. I gazed into Bella's eyes which were suddenly confused and ...tormented? And then she turned away from me, running, leaving a somewhat sob behind.

Now it was my turn to freeze in shock and surprise. Whatever reaction I had been anticipating: happy joys or bruised egos – this wasn't it. On autopilot, I chased after her, following Bella's scent until I found her beside one of the balconies that overlooked the castle's courtyard. She was hunched over the railing and I began to approach, hesitantly.

"Bella?" I said cautiously as I stepped up beside her.

"I'm being silly aren't I?" Bella mumbled so softly that I strained to hear the feeble voice.

"What's wrong Bella?" I asked as she turned her head; I could easily spot the anguish located there but was fairly confident it was not directed at me. "You can tell me anything."

I was comforted by how Bella curled herself around my chest and I wrapped her into a hug.

"The last person who claimed they loved me also stole my heart and shattered it to pieces." Bella explained quietly. "I know you're not like that Demetri. You took me by surprise that's all."

And now she took me by surprise, leaning upwards to give me a little peck on my astonished lips. I was startled. I had been kissed before but this was the first time by someone I actually cared about. Almost impulsively, I leaned forwards to kiss Bella again.

Gosh, I could kiss her for eternity if I had to.

**Alice**

We were taking a huge risk. I, alongside Emmett had decided to move across the north of Italy, towards the town I had seen we were likely to meet Edward. However, I had frequently wondered, was I doing the right thing? Should we have taken a detour and snuck up behind him instead? That way we could cut him off from the Volturi if he made a sudden bolt back there.

I was about to realise the mistake I had made when I was hit by a sudden vision. One that was probably more terrifying that all the others.

"No!" I yelled out in a strangled wail. "No! He can't be turning back towards _them! _He _can't!_ Edward! Why?"

I wanted to collapse, wail and beat at the dirt in frustration because I knew now, that I could not catch my brother in time. But Emmett had already run off ahead. Destination: Volterra.

**Well? What do we all think? Did we like the fact that Bella and Demetri's relationship has gone up another level or would we prefer that they had a mass argument and broke up as soon as possible? Tell me what you think by sending in a REVIEW! Also, any hints for what's going to happen next? I think I have a pretty good clue ;) but guys, just tell me what you think. Please review. Cheers!**


	11. Choices

**Chapter Eleven: Choices**

**Bella**

I was well aware of Demetri's lips against mine, moving gently but intently. And although I was enjoying the moment enormously, I couldn't help but make the comparisons between Demetri's kiss and Edward's.

Demetri's was full of passion and raw emotion while on the other hand; Edward's kisses were restrained, stiff as though insecure about what he was doing. I had to prefer Demetri's and the elation he allowed me to feel. And when we pulled apart, the intensity glowing in his ruby eyes nearly made my knees melt.

"You know what?" I murmured. "I think I might really _really _like you too."

I just couldn't say the 'love' word at the moment. Too much pain, too many memories that I was still reluctant to face. I saw Demetri's expression drop a little and I hoped that he understood by choice of wording.

He took my hand, kissing a knuckle and that small gesture reassured me that yes, he did. Unfortunately though, we were interrupted by an amused chuckle from the behind some ancient king's portrait. Alec ghosted towards us, winking and raising his eyebrows suggestively and had I still been human, I would have blushed beetroot at his implications. But instead I rolled my eyes urging myself not to snap Alec's head off for being such a jerk.

Couldn't contain a growl though so Alec's smirk grew even larger.

"You can get back to your love making when I'm gone." He stated and I seethed. "But just thought you two might like to know that we have a visitor and Aro requested that I find you two."

"Go away Alec." Demetri complained and Alec did, turning to go back the way he came.

Slightly bitter that the magical moment between Demetri and I had come to a conclusion, we began to make our way to the throne room.

Throughout my time with the Volturi, I had learned that visitors to Italy were diverse. I had encountered gifted vampires who had yearned to join our ranks and apart from a young courageous fighter by the name of Bree Tanner, none were successful. Misfits pleading for a second chance also walked through our double doors alongside both friends and enemies trying to make amends.

So who now? That would always be the question. We caught up with Felix and Heidi and as an entourage of four, we arrived.

I saw him before he saw me. Wearing the same grey suit that had been edged into my memories, his shoulders were slumped in defeat, his copper coloured hair unruly and stained with dirt. And as my mind froze into a panic induced haze, his coal black eyes lifted to meet mine.

And I was staring into the eyes of Edward Cullen.

**Edward**

Some marvelled at the history behind Volterra's walls. Some were dead scared of the Volturi themselves. Me, I was neither because ever since my beautiful Bella had been cruelly snatched from my fingertips, the world meant nothing.

It all came down to choices. If I were gifted with the ability to travel through time I would in a second return to the fateful sunset where I told Bella I didn't love her.

_*Flashback*_

Bella was following me as I walked steadily through the woods. I could hear her stumble a little on stray branches but I kept my hands firmly by my side. Skin contact would make this task even more unendurable for me and I was already struggling to keep my resolve.

After a few tense minutes, I arrived at the small half clearing that held Bella's house just in view. It was within metres of the nearest hiking trail but had a shady canopy which blocked out most of the sunlight, hence allowing a nice feeling of privacy. From her jumpy heartbeat, I could tell that Bella was feeling quite nervous, possible even scared and while I longed to pull her into my arms, today was a huge exception.

I waited for her to steady her breathing before beginning to speak, keeping my voice as cold as possible.

"Bella, we're leaving." I said – short simple and to the point.

Confusion filled her eyes and it took me a moment to realize that I had to explain that it wasn't _Bella and I _leaving together for a romance spree but my _family and I _departing Forks.

"I mean myself and my family." I continued to speak unemotionlessly as I watch Bella's move towards realisation and horror. She tried to convince me not to go and while I nearly relented at her please, I forced myself to say the words that went against every moral thought I'd had in the past months.

"You're not good for me, Bella." I heard myself, the words sounding as though from a stranger's tongue.

And while it killed me to say those six words, it hurt even more how readily Bella believed the lie. Her shoulders had slumped dramatically in sadness as a soft stream of tears began to flow from her eyes. Her defeat stung. Because after all the hundreds of times I'd said that I loved her and that she was too good for me, _how _could Bella be convinced so quickly of the exact opposite? When I had informed her of how important she was to me, _how _could that importance be dismissed like trash?

And as I turned away and fled into the shadows of the woods I deliberately ignored the knifed desperation as my angel howled my sinful name.

_*End Flashback*_

What wouldn't I have sacrificed to rectify that mistake? My arms, my legs – those limbs meant nothing compared to the desire to spend just one more day with Bella. Being a vampire, I was unable to sleep and naturally unable to dream. But if I could Bella's screams would plague my nightmares time and time again.

I was in the throne room and ninety seconds ago Aro had grabbed my hand, which allowed him to swipe a copy of every thought I'd ever had. Now, the guards were scattered around eyeing me apprehensively and muttering among themselves. I paid no attention to them, disengaging my senses as I idly wondered why the thoughts in the room were fuzzy like somebody has placed a pair of sunglasses over my mind.

I didn't notice when the room fell eerily silent.

But then a vaguely familiar scent assailed my nostrils, a powerful smell that I couldn't ignore. Curious and because my mind reading abilities were evading me, I looked up to see a person that I had resigned to believing that I would never see again.

"Bella" Her name was whispered with reverence, sounding more like a question.

**Demetri**

Bella walked past me into the throne room and being the brilliant gentleman that I was, I held the door open for Heidi and Felix to follow through. So when I myself entered, I found Bella frozen with tension, gazing with shock at the vampire visitor. He had messy copper hair and soiled clothing; although I had no idea who this guy could possibly be, I felt a subtle dislike build within me.

Bella was speechless, almost falling backwards into Heidi. Jane stood nearby and was gazing at the visitor with an intensity of contempt and apathy which meant she was very keen to give him a dose of her painful gift.

"Who's he?" I whispered to her, getting irritated with the man who was obviously having a negative effect on Bella/

"Edward Cullen." Jane spat.

That name. Just two words and four syllables; I realised in a mental click summed up everything that had caused Bella pain over the past twelve months. The name who pulled the rug out from under her world; the name who continued to haunt her was standing just across the room.

The vampire in me made the decision before my mind had time to choose. My focus had wavered away from the people surrounding me. All I saw was red and all I could feel was a killer's instinct. To kill.

**Sorry for the long delay! Hopefully I've made it up to you guys by extending the chapter by another 200 words :| Please REVIEW! I'd like to know what fate you'd like for Edward and on the side which character do we like more? Aro or Bree? Your decision counts! Please be nice and review!**


	12. Tough Love

**Chapter Twelve: Tough Love**

**Bella**

Edward was here and I didn't know whether to be happy or angry about it. Happy because I had never imagined I'd see his face again and angry to near hatred due to the way he had abandoned me all those months ago. And I was thoroughly confused about whether I still had lingering romantic feelings for him.

My mind was simply in panic as I distantly heard my name get choked from Edward's lips.

And then a sharp growl pulled me back into this reality and nine milliseconds later I identified it as Demetri's. His tone was livid with hatred and disgust aimed solely at Edward. I glanced to my right, at the space he had been occupying only moments ago, only to find that space empty.

Instead, Demetri was hurtling towards my ex-boyfriend with untamed loathing. His snarls resonated around the marble walls and in the split second it took for Edward to react, Demetri's hands were closing in around his throat. Somehow, by either luck or sheer instinct, Edward's shoulder rotated, giving Demetri a hard shove in the chest who flew backwards before righting his balance and landing on two feet. Enraged, Demetri moved to throw a heavy punch followed by a powerful kick to Edward's shin. This fight carried on for a few more shots before I could unfreeze my jaw and yell out "STOP!"

I could have been part of the wall because neither of the two combatants ceased their half frenzied attack. Idly, I wondered why Aro had not _forced _them to cut out this idiocy. Another vague realization was that there was a good chance Demetri and Edward were fighting over _me. _

To either prove or disprove this new theory, I shouted out "If you love me or if you care about me at all, stop this RIGHT NOW!"

The effect was instant. Demetri and Edward both froze mid strike, turning their heads in my direction. Oh, _brilliant. _Now their eyes were identical, trying to display love and admiration. It was kinda creepy. _I can't take this. _I heard myself mutter the words I had just thought before hightailing out of the throne room; the events of the last few minutes were replaying dizzily within my head.

**Jane**

When Bella darted out of the room, Demetri and _Cullen _both abandoned their statue like postures and resorted to glaring at one another, growling when their foe turned to follow Bella out the door. I suppressed an exasperated sigh. Boys could be absolute _boys. _I saw Aro descend from his throne to deal with _Cullen _and I took this as an excuse to leave.

I traced Bella's scent to find her standing beside the bronze statue of Didyme. She was staring at it with a perplexed expression as I moved beside her.

"No one's actually told me about Didyme before." She mused. "What did happen?

Sensitive topic – Didyme.

"Didyme was Aro's sister and Marcus's mate." I began. "She had this aura about her which made everyone happy – it was honestly bizarre. I remember this time when Heidi and I were having a full blown argument over a pair of jeans when suddenly she passed by and we couldn't remember how we got so furious….."

That was a fond memory.

"Anyway, around 500 years ago, the unimaginable occurred." Here, I lowered my tone to a whisper. "The Romanians got to her. The castle was unusually empty that day – quite a few of us were clearing up a mess which had caused mayhem throughout Asia while simultaneously working through disturbances in Spain and Portugal. It was a huge surprise when we returned to find that sweet lovable Didyme had been reduced to a pile of ashes! Didyme's unexpected death was tragic but Marcus's devastation was worse. He barely spoke, rarely smiled and tended to sit around – looking bored. You've seen him Bella; it's like now that Didyme's gone, there's no reason to live anymore."

There was a momentary silence.

"Yeah, love's tough like that." Bella muttered softly.

"Agreed." I commented.

Because love was a monstrous, unpredictable demon who filled you with hope one minute and devastation the next. Love could turn your world upside down and make you doubt everything you had always known. Yes, love was a tough bitch.

"I don't know what to do." Bella said me. "I think I still have feelings for Edward… (I wanted to snarl at the name). But I don't know if we would be able to get together anymore because things just wouldn't be the same between us. I have changed so much, and now there's the Demetri factor…"

She was rambling so I cut her off abruptly.

"Demetri wouldn't leave you like _Cullen _did." I stated obviously. "He may be a piggish idiot sometimes but he's always honest and respects other people's opinion. However, _Cullen _is exactly the type of guy who would try to sweet talk, claiming that his departure was the worst mistake he had ever made. He would hoodwink you into believing that you were approved by the stars and when no longer bothered to put effort in this relationship, pull the carpet out from underneath your feet. Again. I made that mistake once and I'll warn you – the consequences are not worth it."

Bella gave me a meaningful glance as though she'd just found the missing piece in an interesting puzzle. The moment was interrupted by the sound of lithe, sprinting footsteps; two seconds later a disheveled looking _Cullen _appeared with Demetri trailing a couple of paces behind.

_Cullen _breezed past me; his eyes were only for Bella's. I hissed at him.

"Bella!" _Cullen _exclaimed in the worst baby voice ever. "I'm so sorry! I shouldn't have left Forks back in September! It was the worst mistake I'd ever made. Can you, Bella, forgive me for that heinous error? Knowing that it was for your safety and that I'm still madly in love with you?"

I sighed. I _must _be psychic.

**Demetri**

After Jane followed Bella outside, I recontinued snarling at that jerk Edward Cullen, wishing to rip his head from his body. Unfortunately, Aro chose that moment to make his presence known as Felix placed a hand on my shoulder, stopping me from making a lunge.

I was thoroughly unhappy when Aro frivolously offered Edward a place within the guard and actually breathed a sigh of relief when he said no. That's when Aro insisted that he stay at Volterra for the next fortnight in a tone which suggested that there were no other options.

Once Aro had finished, Edward instantly sped off in the direction of Bella's scent; I was begrudgingly forced to realize that he was very speedy. And I was a few steps behind.

Bella and Jane were not far away. Edward instantly began to campaign for Bella's affection in a cocky manner that made my insides seethe. But instead of attempting another kill, I baited my breath and waited for Bella's answer. It was only for twenty seconds that we stood in awkward silence but in that time my mind had flashed through hundreds of possibilities, each getting more gloomy than the last.

My heart, had it been beating would have skipped several beats when Bella took a step towards Edward. Jane hissed but I quickly refocused on Bella.

All ears were on her next words.

"No Edward, but these past months, I will never forget."

**Please be kind and REVIEW! Please continue to give me your feedback on whether Bree should be the villain or Aro. ;) Thanks in advance everyone.**


	13. Wish

**Chapter Thirteen: Wish**

**Demetri**

She chose me. I couldn't allow myself to believe it until I saw the deranged hope escape from Edward's eyes. When they shone of resignation and defeat instead of joy, I was comforted by the proof that I was not hearing things. She chose me, _me. _And I saw some type of goofy smile spread across my face.

And Edward's one became unbelievably dark.

He shot one last fleeting look at Bella, pleadingly, before jumping over the handrail of the balcony into the courtyard below. I saw him start running away from Volterra castle and let's just say I was pleased to see him go. I heard Jane mutter a 'good riddance' under her breath, and Bella's light harmonious chuckle in return. Immediately I moved towards her, sweeping her into a huge relieved hug.

"I love you." I whispered fervently.

"I love you too." She responded and my dead heart once again warmed up by a few hundred degrees.

We kissed.

It was beautiful.

At some point, Jane coughed not so subtly and muttered something about killing a few newborns which left Bella and I completely alone. I was content in this bliss; in the minute fraction of my brain not obsessing over Bella's lips, I resolved that I would never hurt Bella – physically, mentally or otherwise. And no one would ever harm her.

We spent another couple of hours alone. No, not necessarily kissing but carelessly talking. By the time evening came, we were laughing happily. Soon though, Bella wanted to return to her room; vampires didn't sleep but many of us enjoyed going into a more restful and contemplative mood during the night. And so did I.

I decided to go to the library. It was a grand part of Volterra castle, accessible to everyone, but I had always found solace within those lovely walls. I sat down at one of the large comfortable armchairs, before grabbing a writing pad and a pen. Everything about literature fascinated me; I had always written short stories about anything and everything on my mind. But today, it was Bella. The angel of everything and most incredible person I had ever met. My brain flickered through all the moments I had lived with her while my pen began to write, creating a flow of sentences.

_*Flashback*_

"_This is Volterra's library", I explained to Bella as I pointed to the large double doors. "It's got great variety. Anything you could possibly want from any author or time period, with many first editions as well."_

"_Really?" She asked, her eyes lighting up like Christmas lights._

_Gently, I pushed the doors open, hearing the familiar creak of timber against carpet. I waited until they were out as wide as possible, before stepping to the side so that Bella could see. And I saw in her eyes what I had felt when I was first was introduced to this place. I saw shock; I saw amazement. Curiosity. Awe. Then I found myself smiling like an idiot when she sprinted inside, darting among the shelves and pulling out random titles that seemed to amuse her._

_I then made me way across the library, wanting to see in my usual seat beside the electric fire. Except, Bella was already seated there. There was a small stack of books on the coffee table but Bella was currently rifling through a delicate copy of Hamlet. I stared at her, intrigued, until she noticed my presence._

"_What?" Bella whined. "What's wrong with Shakespeare?"_

_I chuckled which seemed to further frustrate Bella, before stating that there was nothing wrong with Shakespeare. That seemed to appease her as I threw myself into a neighbouring armchair as I too picked up a book to read._

_*End Flashback*_

It was amazing how the simplest things could make me happy. Thinking about Bella made me happy; reminiscing even on the ordinary moments we had spent together made me happy. I must have been transforming into a light headed fool because as I began to write poem after poem – the only thing I could feel was happiness.

And to think that I had received so much joy in such a tiny amount of time; that was an added bonus.

**Edward**

I couldn't remember much about my human life. Although Carlisle had told a few stories about some of the things I used to enjoy doing/saying, I could never be certain as to how accurate his descriptions were. But somehow, now, I was sure that in my human youth I was someone who prided in success; I was the type to never give up until I had achieved my ambitions.

And that would be Bella.

I had loved her for so long that it was a painful stab to my frozen heart to acknowledge that she was no longer mine. I slowed down from my run, sitting beside a rather large rock. I knew that I was around 500 metres from a road but either way I was confident that no human would find me here. I crouched, letting my head fall down between my knees. I had lost Bella. All because I made a few impudent decisions, I had been forced to surrender one of the greatest treasures I had ever owned.

"How could I have been so stupid?" I scolded myself angrily.

I took a swing at the nearby foliage, feeling a burst of pleasure within me as the leaves were wrenched from their branches with a loud 'snap'.

"But Edward, you still have a chance to get her back" A voice stated merrily from behind.

Momentarily, I froze. Having not realised that anyone was in proximity to me, Alice's sudden appearance took me by surprise. She was smirking, no doubt smug about having successfully snuck up on me. But, Alice was not alone and that was what made me even more surprised. The vampire was a young girl maybe only fourteen or fifteen years old. With waist length brown hair, she would have looked like a younger version of my Bella had it not been for her pixie like face structure and blonde highlight around the fringe of her hair.

_Hello mind reader. _I was reading her thoughts now, intrigued. _My name is Bree Tanner. I can help you get your Bella back. _

My eyes flitted down to her own. They were a vibrant shade of ruby yet I could see a wild flame of passion and desire. I could feel myself mentally nod. If that desire translated into getting Bella back beside me, well then I was in.

I could hear Alice's giggling as she clapped her hands joyously; clearly she had a vision of what I'd decided.

I ran to her, giving her a long overdue hug.

Suddenly, I began to feel hopeful again.

I would get Bella back.

**Hey guys! I know there's been a considerably long wait for this chapter so I'm hoping that you liked it. Any guesses to what Bree's planning to do? Please be kind and review. REVIEW! :D**

**~livebyinsanity (previously alicecullen5)**


	14. Intent

**Chapter Fourteen: Intent **

**Bella**

Guess what. Sparring was so much fun. Before this amazing mock fight session with Demetri, I would have been convinced that the prospect of giving up my trusty gift would only be a recipe for disaster. And at first, this was true, with Demetri's unashamed laughter evidence that my attempts to throw a solid punch were at best, futile. However, as I began to develop a steady rhythm, I found that I started to get the hang of this and as expected, got better. Within minutes, Demetri and I were wrestling on the floor; our limbs were flailing madly as I rolled over so that I was lying on top of him. Quickly, I kissed his neck, hearing the comfortable sigh of his acknowledged defeat.

"I win." I said proudly.

"Relax" I heard him say. "I was going easy on you."

I huffed a little indignantly at that statement and kicked off a new round of wrestling. This time Demetri won and I now had to endure his taunts and teases. I resolved that one day, I'd kick his ass so many times in a row he'd forget what the feeling of victory was like.

That was some hour ago. He had departed to run some errands with Jane and wasn't due to return until tomorrow morning, leaving me _way _too much time to kill. You would have thought that being changed into a vampire had improved my patience ability, wouldn't you? Truly I felt as though, I had actually become steadily _less _patient, because I now had so much time which did not want to be filled with boredom.

This boredom led me to start walking through the corridors of the castle. I saw Alec but didn't talk very long with him. So, with limited other options, I decided to go to the library. I found Demetri's favourite chair (where a cloud of his heavenly scent lingered); just those little traces of scent made me smile and made me feel as though he was sitting right next to me. A contented sigh left my lips as I picked up Sense and Sensibility by Jane Austen. I loved that book, even going as far as sending Demetri crazy with my gushing over the characters.

I had barely read a page when I was interrupted by a vaguely familiar voice saying, 'Hi Bella'.

I looked up and saw Bree Tanner.

I hadn't spoken to her much before. She only one tier above being a common guard and although she seemed friendly enough, Bree had never really socialised with any of the gang. So, I was more than a little startled she would randomly approach me now.

"Hi" I responded.

Bree sat down into the armchair opposite me. And then, quite unexpectedly, began to speak.

"Hey, I've heard about this Cullen guy which came around. Apparently you brushed him off?" She asked curiously and my response was only to nod slowly.

"If you ask me, I think you should give him a second chance. I saw him running out of here as though he had lost all purpose of life; so, I think he's sorry for anything he may have done. You shouldn't cut people out of your life on impulse because ninety nine percent of the time you're going to regret it later. Just so you don't make a big mistake, Bella. Consider talking to him." She said.

"Thanks, I'll keep that in mind." I told her while honestly just wanting her to go away so that I could read in silence.

Thankfully, she did and I couldn't help but glare at her retreating backside. I couldn't believe that she had the _nerve _to ask me to even _consider _forgiving Edward. As though I should ignore one year of pain and basically being cationic, because _now _he was in the mood for apologising? She barely knew me and she sure as hell didn't know about Edward; so, it wasn't her place to make those types of statements.

And romantic classical literature didn't seem so appealing with this frame of mind.

So, once again, I had nothing to do.

I didn't really feel like going to mope in my room so I decided to go for a walk outside. It wasn't very sunny, although the sun could just be seen peeking out from behind thick cloud cover. For a human, the temperature would have probably felt mildly cold but for me it was nice, and the strong Southerly wind was just as pleasurable. I found it ironic that I never was an outdoorsy type of girl until ran into vampires, not that they were particularly well known for public appearances. Now as I gazed across this courtyard, taking into the bushes and trees thinking, "Wow my perspective has changed".

If I'd never met Demetri, I would still be under the impression that no vampire would ever want anything to do with a human; and he did, in a very unique way. If I'd never become a Volturi guard and lived within the walls of this castle, I would still have believed that the Volturi were monstrous dictators who just wanted to make existing difficult for other vampires. And if I'd never found this place that was so accepting of me that they wanted me to stay forever; then I would still believe that I was never born to belong.

I was happy here. I was happy with Demetri. And I loved the Volturi.

Correction. Excluding Bree.

And just as I came up with those realisations, I felt a subtle change in the wind followed by the sound of hurried footsteps, so quick and light that they could only belong to a vampire. I turned my head into their direction, one of the little known entrances into the courtyard, wondering who out of those who knew of its existence was on their way.

Half a second later, Jane sprinted into view; her normally tight bun was falling away into a cascade of loose blonde curls. She looked panicky as she spotted me and hurried over; immediately I got the impression that something had happened and it probably wasn't good.

"Bella!" She gasped, looking positively deranged. "They've got Demetri!"

For one second, the words failed to penetrate my mind. The next, I was going haywire.

"What? What? How? When?"

The questions were just spilling out of my mouth.

"Edward fucking Cullen."

**So guys, what do you think? What was Bree's plan? And who's perspective should I tell this story from? Bella and the Volturi's reaction or Edward/Bree's plotting or Demetri. Also, thanks so much to everybody who reviewed and increased this story's review count to 200. I love you all and am so grateful for everybody's kindness and support. And I hope you all enjoyed reading this chapter.**


	15. Swivel

**Chapter 15: Swivel**

**Bella**

I think for a moment all time seemed to stop. There seemed to be a second which lasted a minute, and so a couple of seconds felt more like an hour. _Edward Cullen. _If this situation was even remotely funny, I would have laughed. My _mature _ex-boyfriend was having a jealous fit of revenge over my current boyfriend.

But in reality, the scenario was more of a horror story than a comedy show. My mind was a whizzing through thousands of possibilities, each more gruesome than the last. Was he supposed to be a hostage? Torture? Death? I didn't allow myself to think about the last one. Dazed, I allowed myself to be pulled by Jane who had muttered something about notifying Aro and I only had enough control over my body to nod mutely.

It seemed as though Aro had a sixth sense to detect urgency. The moment Jane and I burst into the throne room, he stood up, demanding silence.

"What's wrong?" Aro asked, evidently concerned.

The grave seriousness in his tone attracted the attention of Alec, who stormed out from the small cluster of assembled guards. He seemed to share an intense stare with his sister; it was almost was like they were communicating telepathically and I knew he was wordlessly asking _are you okay? _The affection and tenderness of his eyes was enough for me to wish that Demetri was here. I wanted to feel his arms around me. I sighed slowly. I took myself to breathe, even though I didn't need to.

Jane was explaining the situation. She and Demetri had been starting out their mission when a sudden attack by two maybe three vampires forced them apart.

"It wasn't me they were after." Jane murmured, her lips quivering with the speed. "I was more like a distraction. One of them, the small one, just started chasing me up and down and I was unable to get even half a second of eye contact. Then suddenly, she was gone and I realized that they had Demetri."

"They, being Edward." I said, thinking out loud. "But who could – Wait! What did they look like?"

My friends appeared startled by my sudden exclamation. But I was only gazing at Jane, probably with the appearance of a deranged woman.

"Well, the one who chased me was this short girl." Jane began with a note of uncertainty; _why did their appearances matter? _"She had dark black hair which was just as short. Then there was this other one, male. Tall, dark brown hair, big built, kind of like a Felix…"

They were all staring at me now. I was still, like a frozen statue, with my eyes as wild as saucers. The descriptions were horribly familiar, too familiar actually. They were other friends of mine, friends who I had not seen in such a long time, yet friends that I could not imagine doing something as evil as a kidnapping. My mouth opened, but I struggled to find my voice. I felt myself bombarded with questions.

Did I know who they were? Yes.

Did I know what they were doing? No.

Did I recognize them? Yes.

Alice and Emmett.

I blurted out the names. I heard a collective gasp as my friends linked those names to the Cullens. And when I pondered Edward's involvement, I came to the conclusion that Edward kidnapped Demetri because of _me. _Because he was _deluded _enough to desire a relationship with _him _after all of _this. _

I hissed under my breath as Aro decided on our next plan of action.

We paired up, me with Felix and began to scout for traces of Demetri or his attackers. I had hoped that my improved newborn senses and Felix's eon of experience would allow us to be successful and was hence extremely disappointed to find out that this was not the case. The trail had become long dead. Scouting the perimeters also revealed no results. I was scowling at the trees as Felix suggested that the best thing we could do was head back to the castle; maybe someone else had found something useful. I tried to push out the uncertainty in his voice, no doubt thinking '_they'll be far far away.' _

We were one of the last to get back. One look around the room revealed dejected glances, slumped soldiers and even one vampire (whom I didn't know her name) was flicking her fingernails as though that would even vaguely help the situation.

No luck, anywhere.

We were the Volturi and we did not take failure well, particularly when it concerned one of our high ranking guards.

Half heartedly, we started to discuss strategy but with so many different possibilities, it was almost impossible to predict when we would get into contact with the enemies. We didn't know where they were staying and the entire planet was a large space to try searching. I suggested the Cullen house as a possibility; but, that was all it was, a _possibility _out of thousands of _possibilities._

It didn't look good. And tensions were high with people snapping unashamedly at the others. Me included, I had to confess.

Around two hours later, we were interrupted when Heidi stormed into the throne room, looking slightly peeved (although she hadn't been among the search parties). "Bella, there's someone who wants to see you. He says it's extremely important." She said.

I felt my heart thump invisibly. _Edward. _

"Says his name is Emmett Cullen."

_Emmett. _

Looking around, I could see that I was not the only one who recognized the significance of the name. Felix in particular, looked as though he was moments from jumping up, dashing to the foyer and tearing him from limb to limb. I wouldn't have minded, if it weren't for the fact, we would be no closer to finding Demetri.

"Bring him in." I told Heidi and she exited to retrieve our _guest. _

I heard his massive, heavy footsteps before his scent even started to register in my nostrils. I felt myself tensing, and by the time Emmett entered through the double doors, I was glaring with contempt. This was the man who was once a brotherly figure to me; although his abrupt departure from Forks was enough to change this opinion, I was progressively even more incensed. My lips were curling of their own accord into the icy Volturi snarl.

"Bella?" Emmett stated, almost as a question, yet still with his signature goofball smile.

Silence.

A mere silence answered his greeting. I felt a small burst of satisfaction when his face fell like a child who had just been separated from his favourite teddy bear – immature.

I stepped forwards away from my comrades, realizing that my shield would protect me if anything were to happen. I stood, within a metre of where Emmett remained, in his dejected state, and straightened my back until I was as tall as possible. I scowled, staring into his eyes, as they yielded an array of multiple expressions in rapid succession. Confusion? Fear? Uncertainty? And then the one I was waiting for – Recognition. And then a flicker of something else that seemed unnatural on his boyish face. Guilt, perhaps? Remorse?

"Emmett Cullen" I hissed, breaking the eerie silence. "Tell me; why the hell have you decided to join my estranged ex-boyfriend and kidnap my mate?"

**Hey. Thanks for reading this chapter. I'm sorry! I know it's been quite a while since I last uploaded but I've been so busy and had that nasty writer's block where I didn't know who's perspective I should explore and which order events should be revealed. But anyways, thanks for reading this chapter and sticking with me. We're close to the ending now. Thanks for reading and I hope you'll be kind enough to drop in a review. *hint hint* REVIEW!**

**~livebyinsanity**


	16. Sparks

**Chapter Sixteen: Sparks**

**Emmett**

I could see it in her eyes as she glared contemptuously at me and Bella's expression was mimicked by every single one of the Volturi's guards. I could see my reflection in her scarlet irises and I knew that I was displaying a cacophony of conflicting emotions – all at the same time. I wasn't the most intelligent vampire around but I knew what they thought. I knew that they saw me as an enemy, a kidnapper.

I wouldn't have cared if it was just the guards forming elaborate conspiracy theories. But Bella's hurt and betrayal was enough to make me stop in my tracks.

"Emmett Cullen" She hissed "Tell me; why the hell have you decided to join my estranged ex-boyfriend and kidnap my mate?"

She wasn't the only one hissing. It seemed like everyone was hissing.

There was only one thing I could do, the thing I had intended to do in the first place.

I had to tell my story.

_*Flashback*_

_Waiting was not one of my favourite pastimes. As I paced around one of Italy's finest five star hotels, I glanced at the clock as a low growl escaped my lips. Alice was over half an hour late and she had better come up with a good explanation._

_I knew she was meeting someone, or a number of someones. I didn't know who or why, except I suspected it had something to do with my missing brother, Edward. I hated not knowing; many people believed that I would throw myself into a fight or any reckless situation for the fun of it, but I secretly liked to at least know what I was up I against. I was no Jasper, no meticulous strategist but I was no idiot who entered a battle blind._

_Not knowing was frustrating._

_I heard the low hum as the machinery came to life and knew it was Alice swiping her key card against the scanner. A second later, it clicked; too low to be audible to human eyes and Alice flitted in grinning. Immediately, I noticed that Alice had not showered (as she had previously had to stop me from finding out where she had been). I could identify two scents, one which was unfamiliar; the other took me by surprise._

_Edward._

_How. What? When? Why? Where?_

_I didn't realize that I had voiced my confusion aloud, until Alice grinned, her eyes twinkling in the way that made me realize she was plotting something._

"_Emmett, it's time." She said flatly, with an undercurrent of excitement. "Follow me."_

_Although I was completely out of the loop, I followed. Alice was my psychic pixie sister. She rarely made a wrong decision. I trusted her to have come up with some flawless plan to …..well do something._

_We arrived in a small clearing where I was astonished and even relieved to see Edward. _

"_Hey." He greeted softly and that was when I became aware that something was slightly wrong. His eyes were dark and almost murderous. There was no smile but Edward's mouth was set in a line of grim determination. He was tensed and I could see that Edward's fists were rapidly clenching and unclenching rapidly._

_I remember frowning as I murmured my hello. Normally, it would have been accompanied with a bone crushing bear hug but for some reason I held myself back._

_And then Alice turned her head towards the right. Immediately Edward moved into a crouch and I mimicked him, while wondering why we were crouching in the first place. Alice must have known that I wanted an explanation and hence answered me with a very vague, "Bella's alive and we're taking the first step to getting her back." I remember thinking that it wasn't so bad (it was absolutely wonderful actually); why had so much information was held from me? "Soon enough, we'll encounter two vampires. The girl is mine. You and Edward have to essentially capture the guy – Demetri. He's a skilled fighter but between the pair of you, I think it won't be too hard."_

_My forehead wrinkled. I failed to see the connection between capturing a vamp had anything to do with Bella._

_But I had no time to ask any more questions. _

_Because we were safely downwind, I smelled them before I saw them. They burst lithely into the clearing; one male and one female, just as Alice had anticipated. They froze for a moment, seemed to recognise Edward and then hesitated. In that moment of hesitation, Alice sprang forwards and began to chase the girl around. My eyes were drawn to a flicker of silver and I recognised that she was from the Volturi._

_Edward moved to cut the guy off from his companion. Registering my senses, I also leapt into action, manoeuvring into a position where he would have no choice but to surrender. I was physically stronger, Edward was faster and we both had the advantage of surprise. Quickly enough, my hands were wrapped tightly around _his _torso in an unbreakable grip. Edward's lips were mere inches from _his _throat. Alice and the girl were nowhere in sight._

"_Why are you doing this Cullen?" The vampire questioned with distaste. "For Bella? You're only going to hurt her._

_This comment made me confused. How were we going to be hurting Bella? Something did not quite add up here._

_*End Flashback*_

But my uneasiness had clearly been justified. Seeing Bella's eyes widen and her angry sparks was enough to confirm my suspicions that Alice and Edward had done something awful.

"Emmett" She hissed; Bella's eyes darkened and I fought the desire to step back at her murderous expression. "Why? Why did you do it if it felt wrong?"

She turned away with a foot stamp and a muted sob could be heard. I stared at her retreating figure, still perplexed. The Volturi guards were casting suspicious glances at me as I shuffled my feet, feeling extremely awkward. Finally, the silence was broken and one of the vampires stepped forwards; she was a petite blonde girl, the one I had encountered in the clearing. She met my eyes; I noticed her eyebrow quirk upwards.

And then there was pain.

I felt like my body was on fire. I was burning yet not burning while I felt as though daggers were opening a hole in my chest. I fell on the floor, howling and when I though the pain couldn't get any worse, it intensified and I let out a girly scream.

When was this going to end?

Abruptly, the agony ending. I was breathing heavily despite not actually needing the air. The girl scowled at me.

"That" She spat contemptuously. "Was for Bella. Whether we kill you or not is her decision, so if I were you I'd start begging for your life right now. You, unwilling or not, helped to capture her _mate, _and I doubt any of us would forgive such an atrocity."

_Mate? _My jaw dropped open and I stared at Bella's backside. I gazed quickly at the surrounding vampires and I could see the truth reflected in their eyes.

Shoot. What have I done? And I hated to see Bella look so sad and angry so I blurted out the first thing I could think of.

"I'll help you." I said. "I can take you to where they are."

**So this is Emmett's side of the story. What do you think? Will he be able to redeem himself? Please be kind and REVIEW. I'd really like to know what you guys think. :)**

**On a side note if there are any Draco x Hermione fans reading this, I've started writing a Harry Potter fanfiction called Blood Felony. Just take a zip into my profile. Feedback would be highly appreciated. :) Cheers!**


	17. Focus

**Chapter Seventeen: Focus**

**Demetri**

What was this? Why was I here, trapped, held against my will? Under the watch of that bastard, Edward Cullen and the pixie like girl who was named Alice; what did they want? I couldn't run. I'd tried and somehow they had known what I was planning to do. I could only wait, wait for the unknown, wait for something that had my silent captors almost giddy in anticipation. Their mutterings were low and unfocused; I could rarely hear what they said. The word 'traitor', the word 'Bella', the word 'time', the word 'win' came out more times than desired. I had to wonder – how did everything fit together? What was this? What was going on?

**Bella**

"I'll help you" Emmett's voice was booming as usual yet with a tinge of sadness and regret. "I can take you to where they are."

A silence greeted his declaration. I could feel the stares burning into my back from the lower guards and I met the concerned eyes of Jane as she gave me the minutest of nods. _It was all on me. _I could decide to believe my former brother and friend or I could be the one that guided him towards his death.

At the end of the day, it was an easy decision to make.

I wanted to hate Emmett for his involvement in all the things which had gone wrong in my life. I wanted to despise him for the way he had left without a farewell back in Forks; I wanted to be disgusted in how he had helped to capture my love. But, when asked to select between vengeance and love, I chose love. Demetri was the priority. All grudges could wait until later because I would not allow myself to ruin my chances of being reunited with Demetri.

Wordlessly, hyper-aware of all the eyes on me, I began to beckon around the room. Jane, Heidi, Felix, Alec, Santiago, Afton. I selected a troupe of our best and most talented fighters and they formed a loose triangle behind me.

This is when I looked up. And acknowledged Emmett for the first time.

"Let's go." I stated; my voice echoed harmoniously around the room.

I saw Emmett's eyes light up when I spoke. He wasn't out of the deep yet; I still desperately wanted to wring his neck into tiny pieces. However, for now anyways, Emmett was hopeful. Hopeful that I would be able to forgive. I also had to concede that he looked hopeful that he would be able to right the wrongs of the past. He looked relieved, as I would be if I were in his shoes, that we would be able to focus on what the real task at hand. Getting Demetri back.

As Emmett started describing the location, I felt half my mind begin to wonder (while the other half was completely attentive to what he said). I imagined Demetri. Was he suffering? How were they treating him? And I couldn't help but combine the images with traces of human action movies. Was he chained to the wall? Was he cooped up in a tiny cage, the type usually reserved for circus animals?

_Not that it mattered. _I thought to myself with a steely determination. Because I was going to go in there and we were going to break him out. Over-protective, bastard, nuisance of a melodramatic ex-boyfriend was going to be kicked across the Atlantic Ocean.

I couldn't think about how every second I was standing around, Demetri could possibly be suffering. Otherwise I would have a nervous meltdown, wasting even more time. No. I had to remain focussed. Think of the future, the future, the future.

"Lead." I told the boyish man who I used to consider like a brother.

I was glad that he listened to my order and began to move out the way he had come. I appointed Jane as my 'second in hand'. She had more actual mission experience and I trusted her to make the calls for the lower guards when the time came. I did a quick head count. I had eighteen and if we were right to assume that there were only two vampires involved (Edward and Alice); we should be able to annihilate our opposition.

It was a silent troupe.

We were moving steadily, towards an area that was still on the fringes of Volterra yet far away enough that the guards would not visit there while doing the basic rounds. We had to be careful. Although the weather was cloudy, there were still many areas where the sun shone through. There were many, painfully delicious humans around and I think they would have noticed if just over twenty people started sparkling. I bit my lip to stifle a small groan. Their blood smelt so good and I could really use a stress reliever.

In hindsight, I was glad when Heidi kicked me in the shins. She shook her head at me and I instantly snapped out of my momentary distraction.

I couldn't lose sight of what I wanted.

Emmett was still leading. To me, the journey seemed to take hours and I silently willed Emmett to just hurry up; why was there such a need to make sure the humans couldn't see us? But my sense of time was rather contorted; in reality, only thirty minutes has passed.

I knew the exact moment when we were close. I felt my heart clench as I recognised Demetri scent; it was strong and potent. He was close. Emmett had come to a stop in front of a large building. It had a mansion, with three stories and a grand architectural feel. Despite being seemingly abandoned for at least a century, the building seemed strong and structurally sound. There were not many windows and the surrounding area was composed mostly of trees.

The perfect place to hide some vampires.

"This is where Edward and I had to take him." Emmett said unnecessarily.

We could all smell Demetri and Edward; I couldn't specifically identify Alice's scent (having never met her in my vampire life) but it was safe to presume that she was here too. I wanted to rush into the building but I knew that rashness would do more harm than good. Reflexively, I felt my face harden into the cool, calculating expression which us, the Volturi actually rehearsed.

Jane began to ask the lower guards to split into groups of three and spread out.

The low, authoritive hum of her voice helped me calm myself.

Jane and I held point as we directed two of these groups into the building. I recognised Demetri's scent the moment I entered the building and once again, I forced myself to control my urge to follow his trail blindly. In my slight haze, I failed to notice that Jane had tensed until she jabbed me firmly in the waist. This forced me to reassess my surroundings and I quickly noticed another familiar scent alongside Edward and Demetri's.

I recognised it from just this morning. And as a shadow to my left swayed, I could see the scent's owner, a very familiar Bree Tanner.

There was a collective intake of breath as the guards recognised a fellow guard, a comrade, a friend, fraternising with the enemy. Jane's eyes narrowed dangerously and I knew she had come to the same conclusion as I had; Bree was a traitor. As I recalled my conversation with the girl in question, I realised with a sinking feeling that this was some romantic revenge plot from Edward. Although _he _was the one to leave _me..._

"Hey guys!" Bree was addressing us in a cheery voice, although an undercurrent of tension meant that she was unnerved by our presence (and numbers). "Fancy seeing you here!"

The Volturi hated traitors. With just a lazy flick of my hand, I commanded the lower guards to kill Bree. Jane nodded in approval. Together with Heidi, Alec, Felix, Santiago and Afton, we continued towards Demetri's scent, ignoring the feeble voice of a turncoat girl as she pleaded for her life.

Not that she was worth paying attention to.

We had bigger fish to fry.

**Author's Note: **

I know it's been a small while since I last update and so I would like to thank everyone for bearing with me. Also, thanks for all the wonderfully warm reviews you guys sent me! I just had to smile :). Anyway, I hope you all enjoyed this chapter and will be kind enough to slip me a review again. All comments are appreciated whether you love this or hate it.


	18. Always

**Chapter Eighteen: Always**

**Bella**

We were following the scents, heading towards the upper floor where undoubtedly, Demetri was being guarded. I felt a subtle pull where my heart was, the sensation which indicated that my mate was nearby.

"Let's just charge forwards." Felix suggested, with boyish excitement and then he ran down the hallway, as per his own instructions.

I never had the opportunity to warn my comrade that Alice's ability to see the future would prevent a 'surprise' tactic from working. Felix was gone. Jane shrugged at me as if to say 'Felix will be Felix but he hasn't failed us so far'. Hence, I joined the fiery assault, projecting my shield out in front of me, waiting for the moment where Alice or Edward would jump out from some barely seen cupboard and surprise us instead.

We practically flew through the set of double doors. If I had been human, my heart would have been racing at ten million miles per hour. I was so close, _so _so close. We would be soon done and could return back to Volterra, another day job, nicely done. We had spread out in a loose semi-circle, in order to flush out the hidden assailants. Slowly, I sniffed at a doorway, which seemed to lead to a walk in wardrobe of some sort. Immediately, I realized that here was the freshest trail.

_I knew where Demetri was!_

I turned around, only to see the others engaging in a fight with Alice. She had suddenly appeared in the centre of our loose circle having dropped down from a solid, made of steel, chandelier. I saw Felix and Santiago move in immediately; in the flurry of growing movement, Alice was blocked from my view.

I had to decide whether to help my comrades or alternately, to go after Demetri. I chose the latter and without attracting the attention of any other vampire, I slid out into the doorway. The hisses and snarls quickly faded into the backdrop as I jogged along this narrow path, entering a wide room with mirrors and coat hooks. It seemed to have formally been an elegant and sophisticated boutique. There were mirrors and metal bars along the walls and if it weren't for the brightly sunlight spilling into the room, I would have experienced a feeling of déjà vu with the ballet studio.

It was a diamond like sparkle that caught my eye.

I turned.

And there was Demetri.

He was leaning against one of the walls, looking exhausted, like a human would after running a marathon. I heard myself gasp as I started to leap over to him, barely looking at where I was going, just wanting to hold him in my arms again. My fingers were extending forwards and at the moment Demetri's head turned to meet my eyes, I came into contact with his skin.

"Demetri" I heard myself breathe in relief.

But my relief could not last long. I didn't even get the opportunity to smile before I saw Edward emerge from one of the room's other doorways. He stood in front of me, seeming triumphant. He smiled at me, the glittering _dazzling _smile that I used to love, almost as though he thought that I had suddenly decided to go back to him.

"Bella." Edward's sweetness was making me feel sick. "You've come back to me, like I knew you would."

My jaw dropped while I blinked twice in astonishment. Had he always been this arrogant, possessive and egotistical? I heard a feeble voice answer from the back of my head 'yes he had, but I used to be heads over heels, thinking about how _perfect _he was.' At that moment, I wanted to punch him when he took me by surprise and took my hand delicately, as though it was a fragile piece of china. I quickly scrambled to put my shield up but was distracted when Edward placed a hand on Demetri's shoulder. I was astonished when a tiny shrug caused Demetri to lose balance and topple to the side.

He reminded me of Mike or Jessica after they had spent a night drinking.

I was angry. My shield flared back into action and Edward took a few quick steps backwards.

"What did you do to him?" I demanded, aware that my voice was becoming slightly shrill. "Tell me what you did or I swear I'll rip you apart into a thousand pieces!"

Edward wore an expression of confusion. I huffed in indignation at his continued silence before extending an arm towards Demetri. Shield or no shied, Edward countered my plans by practically _dragging _Demetri behind him.

"Is that your shield Bella?" Edward asked nonchalantly.

His casual tone made me incensed as I snapped out "Yes."

"It's become so much stronger now." Edward replied with both awe and disappointment. "Then surely you understand the nature of a vampire's mind gifts? They are constantly evolving, usually for the better, although sometimes it will be impossible to actually feel these changes take place."

He wasn't making any sense. I tried to lunge for Demetri again to no avail. I had no option but to listen to Edward although I could feel a cauldron of irritation start to bubble and fizz from within me.

"Some of the guards are not as loyal to the Volturi as Aro may think!" Edward declared proudly, like a general who had just been on the right side of a war. "Her name was Bree, Bree Tanner. She resented many of the so called, elite guards, including your _precious _Demetri. You see, belittlement earns no favours. Bree actually sought me out. She had a plan which worked extremely well for both of us. We kidnap Demetri; she, as a fellow guard, would always know when he was leaving the castle and when he was alone. This meant Bree could exact her revenge on an elitist guard while I would have you by my side again."

Edward was crazy. He looked like a thirsty man stumbling into an oasis full of water.

"You're a raving lunatic." I told him, and I meant it too.

Edward just grinned, flashing me a view of his pearly whites.

"Bree's talent was something I had never seen nor heard of before." He continued as though I had made no interruptions, with the same mad glint in his eye. "I doubt even Carlisle would have encountered something so rare.

Bree has the ability to take away the strength of a vampire, leaving them to feel lethargic as well as more prominent thirst/hunger. You see Bella, isn't this wonderful? Your Demetri should normally be able to fight off three attackers; he's a seasoned fighter after all. But with Bree's little power, this guy is about as defenceless as a human who has just completed an Olympic marathon. It'll be several hours, at least, before the effects wear off."

I was still gaping, reeling in shock. It was already obvious that Bree was a traitor but the _enormity _of her betrayal was a massive shock. This entire thing (capturing Demetri, sending the rest of us on an impromptu rescue mission) was entirely _her fault_! I remembered her parting words to me, _"If you ask me, I think you should give him a second chance.__You shouldn't cut people out of your life on impulse because ninety nine percent of the time you're going to regret it later. Just so you don't make a big mistake, Bella. Consider talking to him."_ It was all part of a ploy to make me fall back in love with Edward.

Edward must have believed he was successful. He was smug and in my eyes, a cocky arrogant bastard. I felt a flare of rage within me at his presumptuous attitude and without even thinking about what I was doing, I punched my ex-boyfriend squarely in the face. I watched as he flew backwards from the force of my pissed off newborn strength and Edward's head shattered a full length mirror.

I only allowed myself a brief moment of satisfaction before dropping to my knees in front of Demetri's collapsed form.

"Are you alright?" I asked, concerned.

Demetri nodded tiredly but this small gesture was enough to reassure me that he had not been seriously harmed. I smiled, leaning forwards so that I could plant a kiss on his forehead when suddenly I felt a body collide into me and it was my turn to topple backwards, unbalanced.

It was Edward. Of course. I wanted to kick myself. How had I managed to forget that Edward was still in the room? Where had all my extensive Volturi training gone? I had acted like a complete noob. As I shifted back onto my feet and crouched into a defensive stance, I realised that had I been facing a more seasoned killer, I would likely be dead by now. Thankfully, my opponent was just a vengeful Edward.

Edward's facial expression had shifted. While it had previously been masked by glee and happiness; now, only the hostility remained. There was an audible 'snap' as his teeth gritted together. He was unrecognisable. A monster when compared to the angel (or so I believed) he used to be. It was like Edward had suddenly decided that if he couldn't have me, then nobody could. He wanted blood.

I crouched defensively, with my vampire instincts quickly kicking in. I found myself super aware of not only Edward's pose but also the exact position of my own limbs.

And then we were tearing at each other's throats. I allowed myself to feel a controlled burst of anger. I wanted Edward to feel _pain;_ the pain he had caused Demetri and alternately, the heartbreak he had caused me that spring. I moved quickly but carefully, inwardly smirking that although _I _could use my shield, _Edward _was unable to use his mind reading. However, at the same time, Edward had years of experience and I knew I couldn't take any chances.

It was a fair fight. Sort of.

In hindsight, it was amazing how although we grappled with another, our bodies moving with a closeness in which other situations may be strangely intimate; we did not succeed in removing the other's limbs. We were swinging, striving to give the opponent a large whack of pain. I wanted to hear the sound, the crack when my fist connected with his jaw. I refrained from using my shield until I became tired of these childish antics.

I used my shield to fling Edward into a wall. I began to advance, preparing myself for the kill.

When suddenly I heard Demetri cry out in warning. I turned to see that out of nowhere a fire had erupted and was suddenly charging straight for us all.

**Author's Note:**

I know this story hasn't been updated in a while. I'm really really sorry but I've been busy. But, the new chapter is here now? What do you guys think? Good, bad or downright atrocious? I'm not sure how well the action scenes went because I'm not great at writing action. Please give me some hints on what I can do to improve. Also, be kind and REVIEW!

~livebyinsanity


	19. Fire

**Chapter Nineteen: Fire**

**Jane**

Pixie Alice was losing. That much was obvious. We outnumbered her by size, special gifts and fighting experience. She may have the advantage of clairvoyance but at the end of the day, we were the seasoned warriors. We could rely on pure instinct and that was something that Alice was simply unable to see.

I loved her look of fear and desperation as Alice was backed into a corner. It was obvious. I smirked, gleefully and beside me Santiago revealed an equally malicious smile. Just as we lunged forwards to finish our work, Alice proved that she had one final trick up her sleeve. As we pounced, tearing her into numerous pieces, Alice lit a match tossing it into the wooden frames of the house.

The fire spread. We were forced to run back downstairs to escape from the blaze. I had to admit though; my respect for Alice rose up minutely. She had some guts, willing to make sure her enemies went down alongside her. We were able to get outside.

One sigh of relief. We were okay.

Next worry. Demetri and Bella.

They were still in the building.

The building was on fire.

I hoped that they would emerge soon because vampires and flame did not mix.

**Bella**

It was a huge fire, easily consuming the far wall of this room, the one furthest from me but closest to where Demetri lay, exhausted. I felt myself freeze merely seconds from grabbing Edward by the throat. I schooled my face, desperately trying to conceal my dismay at how quickly fates had once again changed.

However, one glance at Edward's suddenly smug expression helped to clear the fog which was creating havoc in my brain. _He _knew the blaze was coming! No doubt this was a last ditch contingency plan should things fare badly for him and Alice.

I growled. I wanted to wipe that smile off Edward's face. Using my newborn speed, I lunged forwards and grabbed Edward, flinging him into the heart of the fire. Without bothering to see what happened next, I darted back to my mate's side, pulling him into my arms with ease. I grappled with my mind for a split second before projecting a shield to protect Demetri and I from the fire. The red and yellow embers were sparkling around me, prodding for holes in my shield (though thankfully, there were none).

I noticed that the windows were not engulfed by flames yet. Hence, I charged at them; shattered glass flew in all directions as I plummeted towards the ground below. I misjudged, a little bit and subsequently hit the floor harder than I would have like. I winced. There was a rather loud 'thump.'

But it seemed as though the 'thump' may have alerted the others to our position because Jane was suddenly streaking around the side of the building. I saw her and felt both relieved and elated at the same time. This feeling only intensified when I saw the rest of the Volturi guards (and Emmett) following her closely.

The next few moments were spent with my friends wrapping me with hugs, patting me on the back and trying to find out what had happened. I confess to being rather exhausted and hence answered as simply as possible.

Finally, someone's victory euphoria passed and they asked, "Is something wrong with Demetri?"

I had neglected to mention Bree's unexpected ability. And Demetri had been masterfully concealing his weakness; at the moment, he looked annoyed that anyone had noticed at all.

I sighed.

"Turns out from the start Bree had always been betraying us." I explained sadly. "She managed to hide, even from Aro, that she had the ability to make a vampire experience the physical weakness and fatigues of a human."

There was a collection of horrified whispers. Demetri shot me a glare which I returned just as fiercely. A few moments later, the flare was dropped and Demetri leaned over to peck a kiss on my cheek. We smiled simultaneously, gazing into each other's eyes, and just like that, the lingering unease in my heart simply faded away. It just seemed that whenever we were together, everything was perfect. It wasn't like the times where Edward and I were considered 'perfect'. Back then, there had been a constant thought niggling in the back of my mind. That Edward was too much of a control-freak for us to be truly compatible.

And then there was an awkward moment when we embraced and I found myself crushing Demetri.

"Don't worry" He told me confidently. "This effect will be wearing off soon."

He was right, naturally. The very next day when we had all returned to Volterra castle, Demetri was back and kicking. He was smug and continued his cockiness by insisting that he was 'certain the guards would be able to beat Alice and Edward'. By the end of the week, half of the newly trained lower guards were convinced that Demetri was psychic. That's how he managed to track down enemies or so they believed.

But the senior guards all knew better. The gang enjoyed a laugh behind closed doors, once again criticising the stupidity of newborn vampires. ("Not you though, Bella" Demetri would murmur into my ear. "You could never be so hopelessly incompetent.")

And speaking of newborn vampire instincts, I found that although my constant yearning to drink blood had curbed, I still needed to drink more often than the other guards. I didn't have many difficulties though. Having Heidi as a friend was really convenient; she was able to get me a small human snack whenever it was required. At other times, I ventured out into the forests to animal hunt instead. I found that despite the less than satisfying taste, the slight challenge of the pursuit made up for it. Eventually, I convinced Demetri and later Felix to accompany me. They, however, refused to actually drink the animal blood. My eyes remained crimson in colour, signifying that human blood still composed the majority of my diet.

Unexpectedly, animal hunting allowed Demetri and I to find many cosy hiding spots in the woods. Here, we were content to enjoy each other's presence without the interruptions and eavesdropping that were inevitable in a castle of supersonic vampires. Hours would fly by in these beautiful places but I could never get bored. Demetri had a huge collection of stories he enjoyed retelling and when those stories trickled to a halt we would have countless discussions on music and literature.

So yes, I was happy. Undeniably, extremely happy.

Over time, the memories of my human life slowly faded away. But I still kept the knowledge that was vitally important throughout my human life. I remembered that my parents were Renee and Charlie; a part of me wondered how they fared now that I was gone. I remembered fondly sentimental things such as the roar as I started up the old Chevy. But mostly, I remembered the Cullens.

Alice and Edward were now dead. They had wandered into my vampire life, causing trouble so I wouldn't be able to forget them, no matter how much I wanted to. Emmett too, was in this category. But since Emmett had assisted us, I now considered him to be a trusted friend. He was my only link to the rest of the Cullen family – until he convinced me to allow them to visit Volterra so that they could have the opportunity to make amends.

_*Flashback*_

I was nervous. I was pacing with small steps around the side chamber while Demetri stood in the corner, lovingly telling me to 'breathe'. I gritted my teeth where the sound of a low growl escaped. Couldn't he see that breathing was the least of my worries right now?

I was going to see the Cullens.

Save for Emmett, I had not seen any of the Cullens for around two years – the night of my disastrous birthday party. I wondered what they would think of me, would I hold any significance now that I was no longer Edward's bumbling clumsy human? Although I had great friends, most notably the gang, a part of me still wanted the Cullens' high regard. Ultimately, they were my first friends.

I knew they had arrived in the throne room when I heard Aro yell enthusiastically 'Carlisle, my old friend'; the sound carrying through the thin door between the two rooms with ease. I felt my heart should be jumping out of my chest but due to my vampire-ness, it didn't. Quieter, Carlisle had a muffled reply.

Chagrined, Demetri pinched my elbow, wordlessly asking 'are you ready?'

And even though I wasn't, I nodded.

Pulling on a show of bravado, I marched up to the door, stepping silently into the throne room. The first thing I noticed was Jane, Alec, Felix and Heidi scattered among the outskirts of the room showing their support. I nodded appreciatively glad that _some people _were being serious to balance Demetri's present happy-go-luckiness.

The next person I saw was Aro, standing majestically on the dais. And then I followed Aro's gaze to the people I both longed and dreaded to see.

The Cullens.

They seemed to recognise my presence in slow motion. Emmett, most familiar to me spun around first and offered me a warm smile. Then there was Carlisle and Esme – not expecting my sudden appearance. Then there was Rosalie, looking for the first time since I had met her, slightly dishevelled. That was it. Jasper wasn't here. But since he was probably grieving for Alice, I didn't expect him.

We stared at each other. They hadn't changed, being vampires after all. But no doubt they were looking at all the changes in me.

For a moment, I wondered if the sun would go down before someone was brave enough to move.

But then Esme was charging towards me. It would have been threatening except Esme's deer like gait eliminated any possibility of an attack. Within milliseconds, Esme had flung her arms around me, eyes shining with unshed tears of apology. I heard a loud, almost desperate sniff.

"Bella!" She seemed to cry into my shoulder. "I'm so sorry. We should never have left Forks."

How could I stare into her eyes and not forgive her? Esme had always been the emotional one, who wore her heart on her sleeve. The raw sadness and self-loathing in her golden orbs could not be falsified. Her regret combined with hope made me feel hopeful too and so I forgave her.

_*End Flashback*_

With Carlisle, it was a similar story. He approached me slowly, appearing so wearied and resigned so that this time I had to actually pull him into a hug. Carlisle's expression of surprise made me giggle. Carlisle had been less optimistic than his wife. I told him that he was not to blame for the events back in September; no, it was all Edward's fault. Edward the idiot who always presumed he knew what was best for me. When we pulled apart, an awkward Rosalie shuffled towards me.

_*Flashback*_

Rosalie looked like a child expecting to be scolded. She was walking towards me with long strides but even with Emmett's encouragement, she struggled to meet my eyes until no more than a metre away from me.

"Bella…" She said and for some reason the word was spoken with a lifetime of agonies.

"When we left Forks", Rose recollected. "I didn't object. You see, I thought that if we weren't around, you wouldn't end up being a vampire." Here, she became very anguished. "To me, when you have a long human life in front of you, being changed is not a blessing, but a curse."

"I would give anything, except for maybe Emmett, to be human again." Rosalie's whisper was getting increasingly difficult to hear. "Please Bella, for my mistake in judgement, forgive me."

She looked so vulnerable, as though she could disappear into the marble floor if she stared at it for long enough.

"Rosalie."

She looked up.

"I've forgiven you." And then for the first time since I had met her, Rosalie's face lifted into a beautiful smile.

_*End Flashback*_

Yes, I daresay that life was perfect.

**Author's Note:**

Aside from the epilogue, this will be the last chapter if this story. Hence, I would like to thank everyone who had reveiwed, favourite story/authored me and offered me suggestions. I don't think I would have managed to pull the storyline together without you all. I'd like to thank people for bearing with me as I experimented with writing action scenes (how was the one in this chapter by the way?) and also for sticking with me through writer's blocks. I know my chapters have been frequently erratic in terms of update time. So yeah, thanks!

I hope everyone has enjoyed this story because I certainly enjoyed writing it. Unfortunately, there will be no sequel though hopefully the epilogue will hint at where the future of Demetri and Bella are headed. Thanks again for reading. And I hope you will be interested in moving over to some of my other stories. :) And review, of course. :p

~livebyinsanity


	20. Epilogue  Your Happy Ending

**Epilogue**

Demetri and Bella were disturbed from their chess game when a lower guard pounded on the door of their quarters. They were quickly told that Aro had requested that they 'assemble in the throne room immediately'. Upon hearing this, Demetri quickly dismissed the guard while Bella grabbed two sets of dark grey cloaks, handing one of them to her mate. In brisk efficient movements, the cloaks were fastened and the powerful couple began their stride towards the throne room.

Demetri, having spent centuries in Volterra knew that the term 'immediately' meant that somewhere, there was an 'emergency'. He was concerned. Very few times had Aro abandoned his relaxed gracefulness to declare an 'emergency' situation; after all, the Volturi were strong and rarely found a threat that was truly dangerous.

Bella was anxious too, as they weaved through lower guards that were blissfully unaware of the 'emergency', whatever it was. Bella's last and only 'emergency' was when Demetri was kidnapped; as her mind flickered through the memories of her friends, she feared the worst for every single one of them. Demetri and Bella arrived at the throne room in record breaking speed, made even more surprising by the fact that they had not broken into a run.

They slid lithely into their pre-allotted places, Bella next to Jane, while Demetri was slightly in front of Felix. Within the next forty seconds, the remaining senior guards and best fighters had also squeezed into their places. Without wasting any more time, Aro stood up, clapping his hands to demand undivided attention and spoke urgently. "I have just been informed by Charles and Makenna that a large newborn army are approaching Volterra!"

There was a slight gasp from some of the less experienced fighters (Bella was proud to say that she was not one of them). Most of the vampires merely reacted by a tightening of their facial muscles or a narrowing of their eyes.

"We must prepare immediately." Aro began to say but he was interrupted when a loud 'crash' was heard in the distance; seconds later a lower guard, Robert, barged into the throne room, not even pausing to knock.

"They are here!" He gasped wildly. "We have around fifty newborns attacking the southern wall!"

Now, normally at such news there would be widespread pandemonium resulting in absolutely no plans being drawn up. However, the Volturi were well accustomed to fighting and hence the entire group began making their way to the south wall. Bella and Jane were leading one of the largest groups of fighters; they had both defensive and offensive abilities between them – the ideal combination.

Demetri brushed past Bella.

_Take care. _He seemed to convey with his eyes as he led his group.

When Bella and Jane made it to the southern wall, they saw pandemonium. Vampires everywhere; the newborns could be distinguished by their clothing, which was composing mostly of ragged fabrics which seemed to resemble the styles worn in South America – or Mexico maybe?

However, Bella had little time to dwell on the origins of the newborns because her eyes had been drawn to someone else.

Somebody standing at the back of the army wearing a dangerous scowl on his face.

Somebody she not only recognised but shared some kind of twisted familiarity with. This familiarity included companionship, camaraderie yet twice he had tried to kill her.

Jasper.

Her jaw dropped and in that one short second of surprise, Bella's shields wavered and the newborns flung themselves more confidently into the battle, feeling the slight weakening of defences. Their aggravated snarls were what made Jasper's head snap upwards, meeting Bella's eyes. She wanted to recoil from the violent red of his irises. But somehow, she managed to hold her ground, watching carefully as Jasper began to sling towards the left, out of the man bulk of fighting.

Realising that Jane was calling out orders and seemingly unaware of Bella's preoccupation, Bella snuck off. Using her shield, Bella was able to ensure that none of the newborns or even any of the guards got in her way. Bella was certain she wouldn't be missed; despite the surprise, the Volturi were at an easy advantage.

With the din roaring beside them, Bella stopped two metres from the menacing blonde vampire.

"Bella." He was smiling at her; the same charming smile that had helped him ascend the ranks of the army during his youth.

"Jasper." Inside, Bella was a bit perplexed although she managed to maintain a mild smile.

But then suddenly Jasper was snarling and flying through the air towards her, yelling in unconcealed torment, "You killed Alice! And now, I am going to kill you!"

Bella's eyes widened. Jasper felt satisfied, having succeeded his plan of revenge. However, Jasper had been completely unaware of the existence of Bella's shield. Hence, he was flung roughly away, shell shocked, into the remains of his newborn army and was decimated efficiently by Felix, who hadn't noticed the difference between Jasper and the other newborn foes.

And hence within seconds of Jasper's destruction, the battle was over. Bella slid back to where Jane was now ordering the lower guards to leave the wall. The petite blonde shot her a look that clearly stated 'where have you just been?' which Bella ignored. She was only interested in one person, Demetri whom she ran through the fray to meet.

Bella managed to pounce into his arms, grinning as she noticed his hair, ruffled out of its normally perfect state.

"Just another job right?" Demetri jibed alluringly. "More random vampires trying to bring the Volturi down?"

Bella snuggled into her mate's shoulder.

"Sure." She murmured. But there was a faint sharpness in her eyes that spoke otherwise.

_But then again, why worry when you have your happy ending? When Demetri and Bella were due to spend centuries and even millenniums as the finest and most prestigious couple in the Volturi, what was a small altercation with a vengeful vampire? _

_It would be known as one of the small blemishes that came with an otherwise spotless life._

**Author's Note:**

So this is where this story officially ends. I hope you enjoyed this extra little epilogue and will be kind enough to offer a review. And once again, thanks so much for reading! Your support has been wonderful.

~livebyinsanity


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